Coup of sorts in Akola-Washim-Buldhana constituency as BJP steals win

Nagpur: It was a coup of sorts in Akola-Buldhana-Washim constituency by the BJP in snatching the MLC local authority constituency seat from its former friend turned foe Shiv Sena, which had occupied it for over 18 years.
Despite being nowhere near the majority mark of around 412, the saffron party achieved the unthinkable by turning the tide against the Sena, which was supported by its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners – NCP and Congress. BJP’s Vasant Khandelwal crushed Sena’s three-time MLC and favourite Gopikisan Bajoria by a big margin of 109 votes when the results were announced on Tuesday. The former polled 443 votes against latter’s 334, while 21 votes were declared invalid.
As reported by TOI on Saturday, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) coupled with independents turned the tide in BJP’s favour and set the ground for Khandelwal’s unexpected win. Bajoria’s defeat after 18 years has jolted MVA leaders and activists. The victory margin clearly indicates that BJP not only managed to secure votes from Prakash Ambedkar’s outfit but also from independents, making a big dent in MVA votes.
Before the polls, the collective strength of MVA’s three partners was over 400 and they were just six behind the majority mark. On the other hand, BJP at 246 was way behind the halfway mark. It was going to be easy sailing for Bajoria against Khandelwal, who was a first timer at the hustings. The two candidates were business partners for 18-20 years before splitting up two years ago.
Out of 822 voters, 808 exercised their right to vote on December 10. Even with collective strength of 246 BJP, 86 VBA and 77 independent voters taken into account, the total comes to 409, just three short of the halfway mark. This means 34 voters cross-voted from MVA to BJP.
“This is not my victory alone, but of the sincere efforts by party leaders and workers. I will continue to strive for the overall development of the constituency and thank all for supporting me,” Khandelwal said.
A disappointed Bajoria told TOI that cross voting had indeed taken place leading to his downfall. “There is no point in talking about defeat. We accepted the voters’ mandate. We will do a complete analysis and submit a report to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. I will continue to work for the party like am doing for all these years. I will also expand the scope of my social work in the constituency,” he said.