The saffron wave swept through North Maharashtra where the BJP-Shiv Sena combine won all six seats.
The North Maharashtra region consists of Nashik, Dindori, Dhule, Jalgaon, Raver, and Nandurbar parliamentary constituencies. Currently, the BJP has five MPs while the Sena has one. The Nashik, Dhule, and Jalgaon municipal corporations are also ruled by the BJP.
In Dhule, Union Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre won against Congress’s Kunal Patil by 2,29,243 votes. Mr. Bhamre is the sitting MP. Dhule BJP MLA Anil Gote, who has a long-standing feud with Mr. Bhamre, had rebelled and was contesting as an independent, but did not make a mark.
In Nashik, Sena’s Hemant Godse, the sitting MP, was leading by 2,91,081 votes against NCP’s Sameer Bhujbal. BJP MLA Manikrao Kokate had left the party and contested as an independent candidate after the seat was left for the Sena. He was trailing in third with 12.15% votes.
In Dindori, BJP’s Bharati Pawar was leading by 1,98,779 votes against NCP’s Dhanraj Mahale. The BJP had dropped sitting MP Harishchandra Chavhan and instead, poached NCP’s Bharti Pawar, who was defeated by Mr. Chavhan in 2014. CPI(M)’s candidate and leader of farmers’ march J.P. Gavit came in third with 9.7% votes.
In Jalgaon, BJP’s Unmesh Patil won by 4,11,617 votes against NCP’s Gulabrao Deokar. The BJP had dropped the sitting MP, A.T. Patil, to nominate one candidate, before dropping her and nominating Mr. Patil, a first-time MLA.
In Nandurbar, BJP’s sitting MP Heena Gavit won by 95,629 votes against Congress’s K.C. Padvi. Ms. Gavit, daughter of Nandurbar strongman and BJP MLA Vijaykumar Gavit, now gets a second term. BJP’s Suhas Natawadkar had rebelled from this constituency, but did not make any dent.
In Raver, BJP’s Raksha Khadse, daughter-in-law of State BJP leader Eknath Khadse, won by 3,35,882 votes against Congress’s Ulhas Patil. This will also be Ms. Khadse’s second term.
