The Congress has retained the Nagpur Division Graduates’ constituency of the Maharashtra Legislative Council for a second consecutive term, defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a region considered a stronghold of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Congress candidate and sitting MLC Abhijit Govindrao Wanjarri defeated BJP nominee Sudhakar Kohale by 3,271 votes after a prolonged counting process that concluded in the early hours of Thursday.
Wanjarri secured 67,231 votes against Kohale’s 63,960, according to poll officials.
The result is a setback for the BJP, as Nagpur is the home city of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and falls within the Lok Sabha constituency represented by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. The city also houses the RSS headquarters.
How Congress Turned the Contest Around
Kohale initially held a lead over Wanjarri. After the second round of counting on Wednesday, the BJP candidate had secured 60,924 first preference votes, compared with Wanjarri’s 56,630. Independent candidate Nitesh Karale received 24,249 votes.
Since no candidate secured the required quota through first preference votes, counting proceeded to second preference votes. Wanjarri eventually emerged victorious with a margin of 3,271 votes.
The BJP had fielded former MLA Kohale against Wanjarri, who won the constituency in 2020 by defeating BJP candidate Sandip Joshi.
The Nagpur Graduates’ constituency had previously been represented for several terms by Gadkari, making the Congress’s consecutive victories significant for the party in the region.
‘Voters Stood With Us’, Says Wanjarri
Reacting to the result, Wanjarri said the BJP had deployed its leaders and resources extensively to win the election but failed to secure the seat.
“The way the BJP put its all into these elections, big leaders of the BJP were in Nagpur. However, voters were with us,” he said.
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal also welcomed the result, saying the BJP candidate had been defeated in the city that houses the RSS headquarters. In a post on X, he said, “The balloon of illusion has burst; hatred has been defeated.”
Congress workers celebrated the victory outside the counting centre at Mankapur Indoor Stadium. Reports also said BJP and Congress workers clashed during the counting process, prompting police intervention.
MVA Wins Three of Five Seats in Maharashtra
The Nagpur result came amid elections to 28 Legislative Council seats across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Bihar.
In Maharashtra, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), claimed victory in three of the five constituencies. The BJP and its ally Shiv Sena won one seat each.
The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) also won the Pune Graduates’ constituency and was leading in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates’ constituency, according to reports available during counting.
Across the four states, the BJP and its allies recorded several victories. In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP won six of the 11 seats, while the Samajwadi Party secured three. In Karnataka, the BJP won three seats and its ally, the Janata Dal (Secular), won the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency.
In Bihar, the BJP won the Tirhut Teachers’ and Kosi Graduates’ constituencies, while other seats went to candidates from the Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Jan Suraaj Party and independent candidates.
The Congress victory in Nagpur therefore offered the party a significant win in Maharashtra, particularly in a constituency associated with the BJP’s ideological stronghold.
