Chandrapur: Leader of opposition Vijay Wadettiwar's victory in the Bramhapuri assembly constituency was Congress' sole success in Chandrapur district, comprising six assembly constituencies, sparing the party total embarrassment. Wadettiwar won by a margin of 13,971 votes over his nearest rival Krishnalal Sahare of BJP.
In the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, Congress candidate Pratibha Dhanorkar had won by a margin of 2.5 lakh votes, with a lead of over 30,000 votes in all the assembly segments. However, party's senior leaders Subhash Dhote (Rajura), Satish Warjurkar (Chimur), Santosh Singh Rawat (Ballarpur), Praveen Padwekar (Chandrapur) and Dhanorkar's brother, Pravin Kakde (Warora), failed to capitalize on the gains and lost the seats.
BJP's move to field Krishnalal Shahare, a Kunbi, posed a significant challenge to Wadettiwar. The counting stretched across 23 rounds, with Wadettiwar gradually pulling ahead to secure 1.11 lakh votes. Wadettiwar's stature as leader of opposition and long-standing rapport with the electorate were instrumental in retaining the seat, said analysts.
Analysts pointed to poor candidate selection and lacklustre campaigning as key reasons for Congress' dismal performance in the district.
Chandrapur: Leader of opposition Vijay Wadettiwar's victory in the Bramhapuri assembly constituency was Congress' sole success in Chandrapur district, comprising six assembly constituencies, sparing the party total embarrassment. Wadettiwar won by a margin of 13,971 votes over his nearest rival Krishnalal Sahare of BJP.
In the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, Congress candidate Pratibha Dhanorkar had won by a margin of 2.5 lakh votes, with a lead of over 30,000 votes in all the assembly segments. However, party's senior leaders Subhash Dhote (Rajura), Satish Warjurkar (Chimur), Santosh Singh Rawat (Ballarpur), Praveen Padwekar (Chandrapur) and Dhanorkar's brother, Pravin Kakde (Warora), failed to capitalize on the gains and lost the seats.
BJP's move to field Krishnalal Shahare, a Kunbi, posed a significant challenge to Wadettiwar. The counting stretched across 23 rounds, with Wadettiwar gradually pulling ahead to secure 1.11 lakh votes. Wadettiwar's stature as leader of opposition and long-standing rapport with the electorate were instrumental in retaining the seat, said analysts.
Analysts pointed to poor candidate selection and lacklustre campaigning as key reasons for Congress' dismal performance in the district.