Despite loss, Cong-NCP led in 12 Vid Assembly segments

Nagpur: The BJP-Shiv Sena combine has won eight out of ten Lok Sabha seats in Vidarbha while Congress has bagged one. One seat has gone to an NCP-backed independent.
If the assembly segment-wise leads are considered, then the Congress-NCP combine leads in 12 segments out of total 62, while saffron parties are ahead in 50. Before Chandrapur Congress MP Suresh Dhanorkar resigned from Shiv Sena, the saffron combine had 44 MLAs in the region.
Two assembly segments — Malkapur and Umarkhed — fall under Lok Sabha constituencies that are outside Vidarbha. BJP-SS has got a lead in both. The assembly segment-wise analysis throws up some interesting facts. Even though Nagpur BJP candidate Nitin Gadkari has trounced his Congress rival Nana Patole by over 2.16 lakh votes, he has a deficit of 9,000 votes in Nagpur North. There, the MLA is Milind Mane of BJP. It is reserved for SC.
Patole, who is likely to contest from Sakoli assembly constituency in October, has a reason to worry. Here, BJP MP Sunil Mendhe has a lead of 32,000 votes over NCP candidate Nana Panchbudhe. NCP was expected to a get good lead here. Chandrapur BJP candidate Hansraj Ahir has lost to Suresh Dhanorkar of Congress by 44,000 votes; he has a lead of over 57,000 votes in Arni. The sitting MLA is Raju Todsam of BJP. It is an ST constituency. On the other hand, Dhanorkar has a lead of over 30,000 votes in Ballarpur, which is represented by state finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar. Strangely, Dhanorkar’s lead from Warora, his own constituency before resigning, is only 12,000.
In Amravati, defeated Shiv Sena MP Anand Adsul has a lead of 10,500 votes in Badnera, the assembly constituency represented by the new MP Navneet Rana’s husband Ravi. Shiv Sena has a deficit in remaining five assembly segments.
In Gadchiroli Lok Sabha constituency, state bigwigs have failed to defend their turfs. Congress candidate Namdeo Usendi has a lead of 6,200 votes over BJP MP Ashok Nete from Aheri assembly constituency represented by district guardian minister Ambarishraje Atram. Vijay Wadettiwar, deputy leader of Congress in the state assembly, has also a reason to worry. Nete has a lead of 12,500 votes from his constituency Brahmapuri.