Nashik (Maharashtra) [India], May 19 (ANI): Thirteen seats of Maharashtra, including Nashik, will go to polls during the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20.
Nashik is poised for a Shiv Sena vs Shiv Sena (UBT) battle.
Nashik situated on the banks of the river Godavari, is emerging as one of the fastest-growing cities in India.
It is made up of 6 assembly constituency segments Sinnar, Nashik East, Nashik Central, Nashik West, Deolali (SC) and Igatpuri (ST).
With 31 candidates in the fray, the Nashik Lok Sabha constituency promises a dynamic and competitive electoral landscape.
Nashik parliamentary constituency will witness a face-off between Godse Hemant Tukaram from Shiv Sena and Rajabhau (Parag) Prakash Vaje from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).
Friends not long ago, Godse Hemant Tukaram, the sitting MP of Shiv Sena, and Rajabhau Vaje are bitter foes in this election after the split in Sena.
Incidentally, both Godse and Waje hail from the politically influential Maratha community. Godse was elected MP in the 2014 and 2019 elections.
The Mahayuti consisting of the BJP, the Shiv Sena and the NCP ironed out the creases in their alliance in Maharashtra.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that the party has announced Godse's candidature from Nashik and that he will win the elections. Godse, who had made a strong case for his renomination by putting up a show of strength recently at the CM's Thane residence, has thanked Shiv Sena (BT) chief Eknath Shinde, saying that he will score a hat-trick.
BJP opted out to satisfy the allies, it was either NCP or Shiv Sena, and the candidates in the offing were veteran OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal or two-time sitting MP Hemant Godse, respectively.
The delay in arriving at a seat-sharing arrangement over the Nashik constituency hogged the headlines as NCP minister and veteran OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal claimed that his name was suggested by the BJP's top leadership for the seat considering bright winning prospects.
Chhagan Bhujbal, who was eyeing to contest as Mahayuti candidate in the Lok Sabha polls, withdrew from the race over the delay in the announcement of the candidate for the Nashik seat. "I am withdrawing from this fight. It's taking longer. Only discussion is going on. I am withdrawing from contesting the Lok Sabha elections," Bhujbal said.
As far as the BJP is concerned, the party had expressed strong reservations over the renomination of Godse, citing adverse poll survey reports of his victory and also over Bhujbal's nomination.
Several BJP leaders had met Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Rural Development Minister Girish Mahajan, urging them to actively pursue the party's claim over Nashik, citing that it has over 100 corporators and a maximum number of legislators in the constituency.
At a time when the BJP, NCP, and Shiv Sena were engaged in talks, Shiv Sena (UBT) took the opportunity to gain mileage by declaring Rajabhau Waje from Sinnar Tehsil as its nominee.
Waje has already filed his nomination amid a massive show of strength by Maha Vikas Aghadi. Waje is hopeful to outsmart Godse seeking support from Maratha, minorities, and especially onion-growing farmers who have been unhappy over inconsistent onion export policies.
Hemant Tukaram Godse said, "PM Modi has said that we have to cross 400 seats in the country and get 45 seats in Maharashtra out of 48 seats."
The state, with its 48 Lok Sabha seats, is the second-largest contributor to the Lower House of Parliament after Uttar Pradesh.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 out of 25 contested seats, while the undivided Shiv Sena secured 18 out of 23 seats.
The undivided NCP, part of the opposition alliance, contested 19 seats and won four. Following the split in the Shiva Sena 2022, the Eknath Shinde faction aligned with the BJP. (ANI)
