In a reversal of fortunes, Congress after a severe drubbing in 2014, regained its ground and won 17 seats while NCP won six seats in Vidarbha out of 62.
Most surprising is the defeat of two-term BJP MLA who had earlier stint with NCP and Congress also lost to former Mayor Vikas Thakre. Thackeray who is also president of the District Congress Committee had earlier tasted twice defeats in the city.
Former Nagpur district Guardian Minister and former Minister Nitin Raut dethroned sitting MLA Dr Milind Mane in the foregone conclusions predicted by-poll pundits Raut is the All India Congress Committee (AICC) Schedule Caste cell chief. As anticipated Sunil Kedar brushed aside the challenge of BJP nominee Rajiv Potdar, who is BJP Nagpur district chief.
In Katol, a former NCP Minister, Anil Deshmukh regained his seat defeating BJP nominee Charan Singh Thakur, a former ZP functionary. Deshmukh had lost to none but his own nephew Ashish Deshmukh of BJP, son of former MPCC twice president. Ashish who later quit both his seat and BJP and subsequently joined Congress also lost from Nagpur-South-West to BJP stalwart and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Fadnavis retained his seat for the fifth time defeating Ashish Deshmukh this time with a margin of about 53,000 votes. Though his margin of victory seems to have been reduced.
A tough fight was witnessed in Sakoli in Bhandara district where BJP fielded MLC and sitting MLC Parinay Fuke against high profile Congress leader Nana Patole. Patole who won on BJP ticket 2014 Lok Sabha election from Bhandara subsequently resigned from Lok Sabha Membership and BJP also. Patole also unsuccessfully contested Nagpur Lok Sabha against Union Minister for Transport Nitin Gadkari. Fuke and Patole fought neck and neck. Patole finally won the tough fight against Fuke by a margin of 12000 votes.
In Umrer, sitting BJP MLA Sudhir Parve lost to his namesake, Ramesh Pave of Congress in Umrer Constituency in the Nagpur Rural. In a nutshell, in Vidarbha BJP lost Yavatmal where Sitting Minister of State for Tourism, Madan Yerawar, in Amravati BJP nominee and sitting MLA Sunil Deshmukh, who enjoyed MoS status were rejected by the electorate.
In Nagpur district, Hingana seat of sitting MLA Sameer Meghe was only solaced for a comfortable win while in Ramtek, former Sena MLA and now rebel Advocate Ashish Jaiswal defeated sitting BJP MLA Mallikarjun Reddy. Deputy Leader of Congress Vijay Wadettiwar who was later graduated to Opposition Leader in the last stanza of Maharashtra Legislature won from his Chimur seat in Chandrapur.
Reacting to the impressive show of Congress in Vidarbha, Nitin Raut said due to proper guidance of party star leader Rahul Gandhi the people in the region have reposed faith in Congress. The BJP had to bite the dust and their toll claim of crossing 220 proved as a biggest joke.
Congress-NCP has done well and may straighten their alliance in future, the alliance has a bright future, he added.
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