Campaigning ends for 5 Maharashtra LS seats in first phase of polls

Mumbai, Apr 17: A shrill election campaign in Maharashtra for the first phase of polling in five Lok Sabha constituencies where voters will exercise franchise on April 19 ended on Wednesday.

The seats going to polls in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls are -- Ramtek (SC), Nagpur, Bhandara-Gondiya, Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST), and Chandrapur. A total of 97 candidates are in the fray in these five constituencies.

The constituencies will see mostly triangular contests. The candidates have made a last-minute appeal for votes. Their fate will be sealed in EVMs by over 95.54 lakh voters, comprising more than 48.28 lakh males and 47.26 lakh females, plus 347 transgenders, 9,416 differently-abled, and 6,630 senior citizens.

The political heavyweights who campaigned here included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari (also a candidate), Bharatiya Janata Party top brass including national president JP Nadda, state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Bollywood actor Govinda, and many more.

From the Opposition INDIA bloc-Maha Vikas Aghadi were Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, state party Chief Nana F. Patole, Shiv Sena (UBT) President and ex-Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar, state chief Jayant Patil, and other campaigners.

The main candidates in the fray include BJP's Union Minister Nitin Gadkari (Nagpur) with his main rival being Congress MLA Vikas P. Thakare, who is supported by Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi; Shiv Sena's Raju D. Parwe, Congress' Shyamkumar D. Barve, and VBA's Kishore U. Gajbhiye {Ramtek (SC)}.

The prime contenders in Bhandara-Gondiya are BJP's Sunil B. Mendhe, Congress' Prashant Y. Padole, VBA's Sanjay G. Kewat; in Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST), the contest would be between BJP's Ashok Nete, Congress' Namdev D. Krisa, VBA's Hitesh P. Madavi; and in Chandrapur, BJP's state minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, sitting Congress MLA Pratibha S. Dharnorkar and VBA's Rajesh W. Bele.

The office of Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer has set up a total of 10,652 polling booths with 21,527 ballot units, 13,963 control units, and 14,755 VVPAT machines for the huge election exercise.