Nagpur: The Congress has retained Abhijit Wanjari as its candidate for the Nagpur Division Graduates’ Constituency, setting the stage for another contest for the Legislative Council seat that will go to polls on October 23.
The party announced Wanjari’s renomination on Saturday as part of its list of candidates for three Teachers’ and Graduates’ constituencies in Maharashtra. Sitting Pune Division Teachers’ MLC Jayant Dinkar Asagaonkar has also been renominated, while Aditi Rishikesh Pohare has been named the Congress candidate for the Amravati Division Teachers’ Constituency.
Wanjari’s renomination is significant for Nagpur as his present term from the Graduates’ Constituency is due to end on December 6. The constituency has traditionally been a closely watched electoral seat, and the upcoming poll will once again bring graduate voters across the Nagpur division into focus.
The election schedule has already been announced, with polling for five Legislative Council seats from Graduates’ and Teachers’ constituencies scheduled for October 23. The counting of votes will take place on October 27. The nomination process began on September 29, with October 6 set as the last date for filing nominations and October 9 as the deadline for withdrawal of candidature.
Congress retains sitting MLC
Wanjari had won the Nagpur Division Graduates’ seat in the 2020 election, defeating BJP’s Sandip Joshi. His victory ended the BJP’s long hold over the constituency.
With Congress now officially retaining Wanjari, attention has shifted to the BJP’s choice of candidate. As of Saturday, the BJP had not announced its nominee for the Nagpur Graduates’ seat.
The election is being held for five seats whose sitting members are completing their terms. Besides Nagpur Graduates, the seats include the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Pune Graduates’ constituencies and the Pune and Amravati Teachers’ constituencies. The terms of the present members end on December 6.
MVA coordination in focus
The Congress announcement comes amid efforts by the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners — Congress, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Shiv Sena (UBT), to coordinate their approach to the biennial Council elections.
The five constituencies have distinct graduate and teacher electorates, making candidate selection and organisational mobilisation key components of the election process. With Wanjari’s candidature now formally announced, the Nagpur contest is expected to gain further momentum as other parties finalise their nominees.
For Nagpur, the immediate focus will be on the BJP’s candidate and the final line-up after the nomination and withdrawal deadlines. The polling will be held on October 23, followed by counting on October 27.
