Cong-NCP gets ‘moderate’ boost

While the second phase of polling in the general election saw 55% turnout in 140 seats across 12 states on Thursday, Western Maharashtra recorded moderate to high polling which is expected to benefit the Congress-NCP alliance.

The 12 constituencies in Western Maharashtra, of the 25 that went to the polls in the state on Thursday, saw between 48% and 60% voters exercise their franchise. Political observers believe this will help the Congress-NCP combine to win at least 10 seats in the region.

The relatively low voting in Sangli (50%) is expected to benefit Pratik Patil of the Congress, who is seeking to retain his seat in the face of tough opposition and factional fights. The low turnout means his opponents probably failed to bring their supporters out in large numbers.

Shirdi (48%) and Ahmednagar (51%) constituencies in Ahmednagar district are expected to be retained by Ramdas Athavale (RPI-A) and the NCP, respectively, as they witnessed high voting from the slum areas, traditional strongholds for both.
About 48% polling took place in the high-profile Solapur reserved constituency, where the Congress is banking on Sushilkumar Shinde.

Sharad Pawar (Madha) and his daughter Supriya Sule (Baramati) are expected to win their seats easily, adding to the Congress-NCP tally.  

Barring a couple of minor incidents of disturbance, voting passed off peacefully in Madha. The police lodged a case against the son of NCP legislator Babban Shinde for allegedly trying to disrupt the poll process at Madha, which saw 55% turnout.
The only deviations could be Kolhapur, where the NCP faces a rebellion from the ranks, and Maval, where the voter profile has changed because of delimitation.

In Kolhapur, NCP rebel Sadashiv Mandlik’s strongholds, the Karveer and Radhanagari assembly segments, saw a turnout of 60-65%, which is expected to hurt the ruling combine. At the same time, areas like Kolhapur (North), which is a stronghold of the NCP’s Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati, saw relatively low turnout. Overall, Kolhapur recorded 59% polling.

Police resorted to a mild lathi-charge in the Sadar Bazaar slum area of Kolhapur city when the supporters of Mandlik and Chhatrapati clashed over alleged bogus voting.
Similarly, the Shiv Sena was upbeat in Maval constituency in Pune district which saw 45% turnout. Sena MLA Gajanan Babar is contesting against the NCP’s Azam Pansare here.

Solapur (48%) witnessed the lowest turnout in Western Maharashtra while Hatkanangle saw the highest polling (60%), followed by Kolhapur (58.57%), Sangli (50%), and Satara (51%).

Others whose fates were sealed in the state on Thursday were the NCP’s Nivedita Mane and Raju Shetty (Third Front) in Hatkanangle.

Sitting Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi, who was expected to sail through in Pune, will have some anxious moments till the results are announced with the NCP openly campaigning against him despite party chief Sharad Pawar throwing his weigh behind Kalmadi. The lowest ever turnout (40%) in the constituency will not help Kalmadi’s cause.

Two seats in the Konkan region, Raigad and Sindhudurg-Ratnagiri, went to the polls in a politically charged atmosphere on Thursday amid allegations flying between state minister Narayan Rane and the Shiv Sena over the alleged murder of Rane’s ‘cousin’ Ankush.

In fact, the district election officer had prohibited the movement of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut in Sindhudurg.

Ankush was initially believed to be Rane’s cousin, but the minister later claimed that he was just a villager who shared his surname.

While the Congress has fielded Union minister for minorities AR Antulay against the Sena’s Anant Gite in Raigad, Nilesh Rane (Congress), a first-timer and son of Narayan Rane, faces a tough challenge from Sena MP Suresh Prabhu in Sindhurdurg-Ratnagiri.
A total of 372 candidates, including 20 women, were in the fray in the 25 constituencies in the state that went to the polls on Thursday. Among other bigwigs in the fray were BJP leader Gopinath Munde (Beed) and Sameer Bhujbal, nephew of deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal (Nashik).