Nagpur: On the last day of withdrawal of nominations for graduates’ constituency polls for Nagpur division, seven candidates withdrew their forms. It included mayor Sandip Joshi’s namesake who was contesting as an independent candidate.
Others are Dharmesh Fusate, Gokuldas Pande, Shivaji Sonsare, Sacchidanand Fulekar, and Ramrao Chavhan, all independents along with Kishor Warbhe of Lokshakti party. With these withdrawals, now 19 candidates are in the fray for one seat. There was also a namesake of Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) candidate Abhijit Wanjari, but his nomination was rejected as he failed to meet the eligibility criteria of minimum of 30 years age.
The polls would be held on December 1 from 8am to 5pm and counting would take place on December 3, as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Both favourite candidates — Joshi and Wanjari — have started their campaigning in full swing. They’re moving to all six districts in the constituency and meeting the voters with their supporters. While the BJP would be keen to regain the seat, the MVA would be trying its best to get it back after a long time.
Others like Vidarbha statehood protagonist Nitin Ronghe and Senate Parivartan Panel’s Prashant Dekate, also the Nagpur University Senate member, are trying to increase the vote count by meeting various people from different communities.