Major set back to MVA Govt in Pandharpur by-poll

Samadhan Awatade of BJP won the electoral battle

@The_news_21

Mumbai: Despite the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is in the power in Maharashtra, its candidate Bhagirath Bhalke defeated in the bypoll in Pandharpur-Mangalvedha assembly seat in Solapur district. Samadhan Awatade of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the electoral battle. 

The bypoll result is considered as the set back the Thackeray government. The tripartite MVA government – an alliance of Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress came in power in November 2019. Later, Ajit Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister had said that in all future elections, MVA will give the only candidate with the consensus of all three parties to defeat BJP candidates.

However, in the Pandharpur assembly bypoll, it seems, the MVA did not work as a united force against the BJP. 

In the results declared today, the BJP’s Samadhan Awatade won an electoral battle to trounce the MVA’s Bhagirath Bhalke, whose candidature was put forth by the NCP.

Awatade won by a margin of 3,503 votes having secured a total of 1,07, 774votes while Bhalke managed to get 1,04, 271votes.   

The by-poll had been necessitated after Bhalke’s father, Bharat Bhalke – a three-time NCP MLA from Solapur – had passed away in November last year while undergoing treatment for post-COVID-19 complications. 

Bharat Bhalke, along with his political rival Sudhakar Paricharak, had been a dominant player in Solapur’s politics, particularly around the temple town area of Pandharpur-Mangalvedha. Paricharak, too, had passed away in August last year following COVID-19 related complications.  

A former wrestler, the senior Bhalke had trounced Paricharak as an Independent in the 2009 Maharashtra Assembly elections, and again in the 2014 polls when contested on a Congress ticket. He had beaten his rival again in the election last year as well. The Pandharpur seat was considered an NCP bastion owing to Bhalke’s strong presence. 

As a result, the Paricharak family was determined to settle political scores with Bhagirath Bhalke this time around by putting their weight firmly behind Awatade. 

The BJP candidate also had the support of the powerful Mohite-Patil clan. 

“This contest was the litmus test for Uddhav Thackeray’s MVA. The BJP’s win proves just how angry the people are with the ruling government. Their poor response in ameliorating the common people’s plight during the Covid-19 crisis by not waiving off power bills and giving cash packages on time has cost them this seat,” said BJP State President Chandrakant Patil.