Electorates in eight Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra which are going to polls in the second phase of the general elections have started casting their votes on Friday to elect their representatives in the Parliament.
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The constituencies where polling started at 7 a.m. include five in the Western Vidarbha area — Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, and Yavatmal-Washim — and three in the drought-prone Marathwada region — Hingoli, Nanded, and Parbhani. The Western State sends 48 MPs to the Lower House, the largest number after Uttar Pradesh’s 80, and polling was held for the five seats in the first phase on April 19. The State will vote in three more phases between May 7 and May 20.
Over 1.49 crore voters, including 77,21,374 men, 72,04,106 women, and 432 persons from the third-gender category, are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 204 candidates – Buldhana has 21 candidates, Akola 15, Amravati 37, Wardha 24, Yavatmal-Washim 17, Hingoli 33, Nanded 23, and Parbhani 34.
By 9 a.m., an average of 7.45 % voter turnout was recorded in all eight Lok Sabha constituencies. Parbhani recorded 9.72%, followed by 7.73% in Nanded and 7.23 % in the Yavatmal-Washim and Hingoli parliamentary constituencies. Wardha and Akola recorded 7.18% and 7.17%, respectively. The voter turnout was 6.61 % in Buldhana and 6.34 % in Amravati.
On April 19, the eastern Vidarbha region, including Nagpur, Ramtek, Chandrapur, Bhandara-Gondia, and Gadchiroli-Chimur, saw a voter turnout of 63.70% in the first phase.
In Buldhana, Yavatmal-Washim, and Hingoli, a direct contest is unfolding between the Shiv Sena factions—one led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the other by Uddhav Thackeray. This split occurred in 2022 when Mr. Shinde’s rebellion led to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, aligning him with the BJP.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s grandson, Prakash Ambedkar, leading the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), is running in Akola, with his brother Anandraj Ambedkar contesting from Amravati as a Republican Sena candidate.
In Akola, the race features Anup Dhotre of the BJP, son of sitting MP Sanjay Dhotre who won the seat in 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019, Abhay Patil of Congress, and Mr. Prakash Ambedkar. Once a stronghold of the Congress, the Akola constituency boasted influential leaders like Vasant Sathe, who served as a Union Minister from 1980 to 1982. With the exceptions of 1996 and 1999, when Mr. Prakash Ambedkar was elected as MP; the BJP has maintained its dominance in the constituency.
Amravati’s contest this time has thrown up an interesting contest as actor-tuned-independent MP Navneet Kaur-Rana is contesting as a candidate from the ruling BJP, sparking strong resentment among local BJP leaders, leaders of Mr. Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Prahar Janshakti Party chief Bacchu Kadu. It has emerged as a three-cornered contest in the seat, which is reserved for Scheduled Caste, with Congress fielding sitting MLA Balwant Wankhede and Mr. Kadu-backed Dinesh Bub.
In Buldhana, the incumbent MP from Shiv Sena, Prataprao Jadhav, is competing against Narendra Khedekar from the Shiv Sena (UBT). In Yavatmal-Washim, the Shiv Sena has nominated Rajashri Patil, replacing Bhavana Gawli. Ms. Patil faces Sanjay Deshmukh of the Uddhav-led Sena. Hingoli sees Baburao Kohalikar of the Shiv Sena challenging Nagesh Patil Ashtikar of the Shiv Sena (UBT).
Nanded features a contest between BJP MP Pratap Chikhalikar and Congress nominee Vasant Chavan. The victory of Mr. Chikhalikar will serve as a test for two-time Maharashtra Chief Minister and Nanded strongman, Ashok Chavan, who recently switched allegiance to the BJP, breaking ties with the grand old party that his family had long been associated with.
In Parbhani, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha’s Mahadev Jankar, backed by the ruling Mahayuti alliance including BJP, Shiv Shinde Sena, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, contests against Sena (UBT) nominee Sanjay Jadhav.
In Wardha, former Congress MLA Amar Kale, now with NCP, competes against BJP MP Ramdas Tadas.
