BJP to field candidate from Amravati, leaves Ramtek for Sena
BJP allocates Ramtek seat to Shiv Sena, to field nominee in Amravati for upcoming Lok Sabha elections, despite Sena's historical dominance in Amravati.
NAGPUR: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has allocated the Ramtek parliamentary constituency to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena but will field a party nominee from the Amravati constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule told media persons on Saturday that the Ramtek Lok Sabha seat has historically been held by the Shiv Sena, currently represented by Krupal Tumane, and will be left for the Sena (Shinde) in the ensuing elections. However, he confirmed, that the BJP will contest from the Amravati seat.
In a previous seat adjustment between the BJP and Sena, the former had always allocated the Amravati seat to the Sena. Former union minister Anand Adsul had contested the 2019 elections from here but was defeated by Navneet Rana, who had contested as an independent candidate with the support of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Shiv Sena has been victorious in the Amravati constituency since 1999. Anant Gudhe won as the Sena-BJP alliance candidate in 1999 and 2004, while Adsul secured the seat as the Sena nominee in 2009 and 2014.
Adsul, a senior leader from the Shinde faction of the Sena, has evinced interest for the nomination and even indicated his willingness to contest as a BJP candidate. However, the BJP leadership seems inclined to nominate Navneet Rana this time, indicated by deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis as well.
However, Adsul has vowed to contest the election from Amravati under any circumstances, emphasising the historical dominance of Shiv Sena in the Amravati Lok Sabha constituency and asserted Sena’s claim to the seat.