- Abhijit Wanjarri won Nagpur Graduates' constituency for Congress.
- Defeated BJP's Sudhakar Kohle by 3,271 votes.
- Significant victory in BJP-RSS stronghold, CM's home.
After two days of counting, the only good news for Congress came from Maharashtra's Nagpur, where the party registered its first victory in the recently concluded legislative council elections. Congress candidate Abhijit Govindrao Wanjarri defeated BJP's Sudhakar Kohle by 3,271 votes in a neck-and-neck fight after a prolonged counting process.
Wanjarri has won the Nagpur Division Graduates’ constituency for the second time. The result carry significant as it is not only the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's stronghold, but it is also the home city of Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
The BJP has a strong presence and influence in the city. Wanjarri is a lawyer and educationist. He had previously won the Nagpur Graduates' seat in 2020. He contested the polls on a Congress ticket as part of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the opposition block that includes Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchand Pawar).
Recommended For You
ALSO READ: DK Shivakumar In Choppy Waters As Congress Draws Blank In Karnataka MLC Polls | What Went Wrong
The Congress contested a total of 12 out of 28 seats that went to polls in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
In Bihar, it contested five seats and drew a blank. While it didn't contest any seat in UP, the biggest shocker came from Karnataka where the party is in the government. It lost all 4 seats in the southern state. In Maharashtra, the grand old party lost the Amravati Teachers' constituency and Pune Teachers' constituency. It only managed to retain the Nagpur Graduates' seat.
The Nagpur Graduates' constituency vote counting was held at the Mankapur Indoor Stadium. During the late-night counting process, clashes ensued between Congress and BJP workers. The Congress workers raised slogans against the BJP. Police had to intervene to control the situation.
Reacting to his victory, Wanjarri accused the BJP of deploying its leaders and resources in Nagpur, adding that the people still supported him.
ALSO READ: ‘Guess How Many Seats They Won’: PM Modi’s Ballot Paper Dig After Congress Draws Blank In MLC Polls
"The BJP exerted all its might—all their leaders were present in Nagpur—yet the voters stood with us," he said on October 28.