Nagpur, Oct 29 (IANS) Abhijit Govindrao Wanjari, the Congress candidate who secured the party’s sole victory in the MLC elections, said the mandate he received from voters in the Nagpur Graduates’ constituency reflected the development work he had undertaken during his previous term.
Wanjari defeated his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rival, Sudhakar Kohle, by a margin of 3,271 votes after a prolonged counting process in the Nagpur Graduates’ constituency, a region widely regarded as a stronghold of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Speaking to IANS after his victory, Wanjari said he had been confident of winning the election because of the work he had carried out over the past six years and the support he believed he enjoyed among voters. He also credited the Congress and its allies for working alongside him during the campaign.
“I was very confident about my win. I have done significant work in the past six years, so I knew that the voters were with me. Our party and allies worked with me. People have rewarded me for the development work carried out by us,” Wanjari said.
“Just gathering a crowd does not bring votes. However, we have worked for the public, for development, and on that basis, I contested this election and subsequently won,” he added.
Wanjari also expressed concern over the growing doubts surrounding Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), saying that some voters had begun questioning whether their votes were being counted in favour of the candidates they had chosen.
“People have now started doubting the EVMs. They feel that their votes are going to the wrong person. That is why the elections should be held through ballot papers. This practice has been followed by several developed nations too,” Wanjari said.
With this win, the Congress opened its account in the elections held for 28 Legislative Council seats across four states — Karnataka, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
The outcome assumes particular significance as Nagpur is the home city of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and also falls within the Lok Sabha constituency represented by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. Nagpur is also the national headquarters of the RSS, an organisation with a strong ideological and organisational presence in the region.
Reacting to his defeat, BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohle maintained that his party had performed well when the overall results of the MLC elections were taken into account. He defended the BJP’s campaign, saying that the party’s senior leadership, including the Chief Minister, had actively participated in the election process.
“When we look at the bigger picture, the BJP has won these elections. There was no shortcoming in the election campaign. Our Chief Minister and other top leaders campaigned by going to every booth. I thank them for this,” Kohle told IANS.
–IANS
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