Nagpur: None of the 504 Independent candidates across 62 assembly constituencies in Vidarbha could hold sway over voters and all none managed to secure a victory.
Nagpur district, with 89 Independents in the fray, including 49 in six constituencies of Nagpur city, exemplified this trend. Prominent among such unsuccessful candidates in Nagpur city were Congress rebels Rajendra Mulak, Purushottam Hazare and Ramesh Punekar, expelled MPCC general secretary Narendra Jichkar, NCP (Ajit) Abha Pande among others.
They failed to cause any worry to major political parties. Notably, in last nine assembly elections, not a single Independent candidate won from any seat in Nagpur city, underlining the deep-rooted preference for party-affiliated contestants.
Other districts in Vidarbha saw a similar pattern. In Buldhana, Chikhli had 14 Independent candidates, Sindhkhed Raja 10, and Mehkar (SC) 10, but none could win a seat. Akola district's Balapur and Murtijapur (SC) constituencies saw 11 and 6 Independent candidates respectively, and all of whom failed to find favour from voters.
In Washim, Karanja witnessed 15 Independents, Amaravati's Badnera had 18 and Achalpur 14 candidates in the poll ring this time. None could breach stronghold of party-backed contestants. Tribal-dominated districts like Gadchiroli and Gondia saw smaller number of Independent candidates at 12 and 36, but even here, the results were no different.
Similarly, districts like Chandrapur (47 Independents), Yavatmal (53), and Bhandara (27) witnessed a high turnout of Independent candidates, but the outcome remained consistent—no victory for Independents.