Anxiety is prevailing among the workers of various political parties about the candidates for their respective constituencies as dates for filing of nominations for April 11 and 18 Lok Sabha elections in first and second phase of general elections in Vidarbha region are nearing.
The sitting BJPs Lok Sabha members including stalwart and Union Minister for Transport, Shipping and Ganga Rejuvenation, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of State for Home, Hansraj Ahir are certain to be renominated from Nagpur and Chandrapur constituencies respectively.
Though some internal survey of party has painted a gloomy picture of Ahir and Wardha MP Ramdas Tadas. But the question is how reliable is survey and who has sponsored it. In Nagpur, media report suggests former BJP MP from Bhandara and Gondia Nana Patole, who later slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and quit his Parliament seat and party
and joined Congress is likely to get ticket from Congress.
However, officially no political party as on date has released the list of candidates fearing rebellion and resentment among the party workers. When Patole’s name cropped up two days back, a section of Dalit leader objected to it saying Patole had supported those involved in Khairlanji killings of member of Dalit family. That has been denied also.
Veteran politician Datta Meghe is keen to field his eldest son Sagar, a former BJP MLC, who lost to incumbant BJP MP Ramdas Tadas by a margin of two lakhs, in Wardha LS. But it is not that easy as first claim is of sitting MP and unless you (party) have genuine and justified reasons to replace him with Sagar.
Charulata Tokas, daughter of former Rajasthan Governor late Prabha Rau, is likely to get Congress nomination from her home town Wardha.
In Bhandara Gondia, NCP number two, Praful Patel has earlier said that he is willing to contest if party gives him ticket. NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and Patel himself are virtually the party high command and who else will nominate him.
There were speculations that since Praful bhai -Â as he is popularly known, is already a Rajya Sabha member, he may field his wife Varshaben Patel. She is quite popular among women and is an active social worker. Patel had lost to Nana Patole in previous 2014 elections.
The picture in Chandrapur Congress is hazy. Former MP Naresh Pugalia has perhaps given up hope for contesting after two successive defeats. But he still plays his cards in local politics.