Maha: 3 BJP nominees, one each from NCP and Shiv Sena file nominations for state council bypolls
Mumbai: BJP nominees Dadarao Keche, Sandip Joshi and Sanjay Kanekar, NCP candidate Sanjay Khodke and Shiv Sena nominee Chandrakant Raghuvansi on Monday filed their nominations for by-election to the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
They are set to get elected unopposed as no one from the Maha Vikas Aghadi filed their nomination for want of adequate numbers. Monday was the last date for the filing of nominations. As per the Election Commission notification, the election is slated for March 27.
The by-election was necessitated after the five state council members Praveen Datke, Gopichand Padalkar, Ramesh Karad (BJP) and one each from NCP member Rajesh Vitekar and Shiv Sena member Aamshya Padave elected to the state assembly in the elections held in November last year. While Padavi’s term in the state council was till July 7, 2028, Vitekar’s term was till July 27, 2030. The tenure of Praveen Datke, Gopichand Padalkar and Ramesh Karad will end on May 13, 2026.
BJP preferred the party loyalists for nomination instead of selecting those who have come the party fold from Congress, NCP SP or Shiv Sena UBT. Keche, who was legislator from Arvi assembly constituency from Wardha district during 2019 and 2024, was denied ticket in the last assembly elections after BJP fielded Sumit Wankhede, a former personal assistant of the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
After he was dropped from nomination, Keche had threatened to contest as an independent. However, Fadnavis intervened and took him in a special flight to union Home Minister Amit Shah. After his meeting with HM Shah, Keche was promised his rehabilitation. He later declared he would toe the party line and supported Wankhede.
As far as Sandip Joshi is concerned, he has been a close confidant of Fadnavis.
Joshi is a former mayor of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation. He had lost the election to the state council from the Nagpur graduates’ constituency to the Congress nominee. The BJP did not select him for nomination in the state election but now has been nominated for state council by election.
In the case of Sandip Kenekar, he is from Sambhajinagar from Marathwada and associated with the BJP’s OBC cell. BJP had considered his nomination from Aurangabad east constituency during the 2014 assembly elections but denied after party fielded Atul Save. Kenekar could finally get nomination after 11 year’s of wait due to chief minister’s strong recommendation.
As far as NCP nominee Sanjay Khodke is concerned, he is a close associate of party chief and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.
Khodke is known to be the backroom strategist of the NCP since its formation and has worked with all party stalwarts including Sharad Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, late RR Patil and now with Ajit Pawar.
Incidentally, Khodke’s wife Sulabha Khodke is the NCP legislator from Amravati constituency.
Shiv Sena’s move to field Chandrakant Raghuvanshi is aimed at increasing its presence in the tribal-dominated Nandurbar district and also in North Maharashtra.
He comes from Nandurbar district and he is an influential leader and instrumental in winning the Congress bastion Akkalkuwa assembly seat to Shiv Sena.