BJP, Cong yet to name candidates for teachers constituency polls

Nagpur: Even as the voters’ registration process for Nagpur Teachers’ Constituency elections is in full swing ahead of its deadline, major parties BJP and Congress are yet to decide their candidates. Other smaller organizations have already fielded their candidates.
As per BJP insiders, the party may go for an OBC candidate this time to avoid its mistake committed during the graduate constituency polls last year, which it lost for the first time in over five decades. Since the saffron party has already floated its political wing, Shikshak Aghadi, it may field its candidates, preferably from the dominant OBC community.
“The party’s Parliamentary Board would take a final decision in this regard. Till then, we cannot comment,” BJP spokesperson and former MLC Girish Vyas told TOI.
In Marathwada, the party has extended support to Kiran Patil, who was earlier with Congress. He also received support from Maharashtra Rajya Shikshak Parishad (MRSP), which would boost his chances against sitting MLC Vikram Kale, who is supported by NCP. Kale had been winning the seat comprehensively for over a decade.
As BJP is contemplating to field its own candidates, names of Shikshan Manch coordinator Kalpana Pande, Shikshak Aghadi’s East Vidarbha coordinator Anil Shivankar and others are doing the rounds. It means the party may not support the candidature of sitting MLC NG Ganar, who would be contesting for the third time.
On other hand, MRSP has decided to repeat Ganar and had approached BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule about a month ago. However, there is no response from him till date. He also refused to respond to TOI’s repeated calls and text messages.
Like BJP, even the Congress has kept voters on the tenterhooks by neither announcing its candidates nor declaring support to any organization. In 2016, the party had fielded its candidate, who narrowly lost to Ganar. This time it may extend its support to some teachers’ organizations.
“Like the graduate constituency elections, we want all likely-minded parties to come together and nominate a consensual candidate. Since these elections are not fought on the party symbol, it is very much possible. In an earlier election for this seat, we had fielded Vishwanath Daighavhane who won the seat,” Congress district president Rajendra Mulak told TOI.
Senior Congress leader Baban Taywade, who was appointed as a coordinator by the party for these polls, said a panel constituted under him would meet and take a decision after the last date of registration of the voters. “We will review the situation and examine who had done maximum number of voters’ registration. The final decision would be taken in consultation with senior MPCC leaders,” he said.