His troubles began at home with brother-in-law and former Congress MP Bhaskarrao Khatgaonkar joining the BJP on the eve of the assembly polls. The BJP received a shot in the arm with the entry of Khatgaonkar and former NCP minister Suryakanta Patil, both leaders from Nanded district.
The Congress has fielded Chavan's wife Amita in Bhokar, which he had won by a margin of more than one lakh votes. His closest competitor then, Madhavrao Kinhalkar, is now fighting as a BJP nominee.
Chavan has been tasked by the party to ensure wins in maximum seats. In 2009, the Congress had won 18 out of 46 seats in Marathwada, while the NCP got 12. Chavan had garnered the support of independents.
But the equations appear to have changed in Nanded since the Lok Sabha elections. Though Chavan could win the LS seat by a considerable margin despite the Modi wave, his clout in Bhokar seems to have waned.
In the 2009 assembly polls, Chavan had polled over 1.20 lakh votes in Bhokar but he could get around 90,000 votes in the general elections this year. Chavan trailed by around 10,000 votes in two of the six assembly segments in the LS constituency. His rival D P Patil received over 66,000 votes in Bhokar.
Congress sources said the presence of strong NCP and Sena-BJP nominees would make Chavan's task difficult.
Khatgaonkar enjoys a considerable following in the district and engineered defections from the Congress to the BJP.
Stay updated on the go with The Times of India’s mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.
0 comments:
Post a Comment