Nagpur: In a major political setback for Congress, BJP candidate Dr. Rajiv (Raju) Poddar registered a resounding victory in the Nagpur Local Authorities’ Constituency Legislative Council by-election, defeating Congress nominee Atul Londhe by a massive margin of 552 votes.

Dr. Poddar secured 682 votes, while Atul Londhe managed only 130 votes, underlining the BJP-led Mahayuti’s overwhelming dominance in Nagpur. The contest was considered a prestige battle between the BJP and Congress, with Nagpur remaining one of the BJP’s strongest political bastions.

The by-election was held to fill the vacancy created after senior BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule vacated the Legislative Council seat following his election to the Maharashtra Assembly. BJP had entered the contest with a clear numerical advantage among local body representatives and translated that strength into a decisive victory.

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With this emphatic win, the BJP has retained the Nagpur MLC seat and delivered a significant political blow to the Congress ahead of upcoming local body elections.