Maharashtra: All parties bank on winning candidates in zilla parishad repolls

NAGPUR: With the filing of nominations for the zilla parishad (ZP) repolls coming to an end on Monday, all major parties have given their preference to last time’s winning candidates. 106 nominations have been filed for ZP polls and 164 for panchayat samiti polls. The elections would be held on July 19, as per officials from the collectorate.
Against the declaration by Congress state president Nana Patole that they would like to go alone in the polls, the grand old party has forged an alliance with its former ally NCP. On other hand, the saffron alliance between BJP and Shiv Sena is broken, with both parties contesting the elections independently.
All the major parties have renominated their winning candidates, barring a couple of exceptions. There are also signs of rebellion in the Congress, the NCP and the BJP. Shiv Sena, however, has decided to contest in 12 circles.
For 16 ZP seats, the Congress and BJP each have one new face each. Former leader of opposition from BJP Anil Nidhan withdrew his candidature while Congress rejected incumbent Jyoti Raut’s claim. In the last election, Nidhan had won from Gumthala circle and later became the BJP's group leader. His withdrawal is a blow to BJP. Discussions have also started that he withdrew due to fears of internal politics.
In his place, BJP has fielded Yogesh Daf, who is said to be close to former guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. Kunda Raut has been nominated to replace former Congress member Jyoti Raut from Godhani Railway Circle.