Nagpur: The battle for the Maharashtra Legislative Council’s Nagpur Graduates’ Constituency is set to intensify with the Election Commission announcing the schedule for biennial elections to five vacant seats in the State. Polling will be held on October 23 from 8 am to 4 pm, while counting of votes and declaration of results will take place on October 27.
The five constituencies going to the polls comprise three Graduates’ and two Teachers’ constituencies. The Nagpur Graduates’ seat, in particular, is expected to attract considerable political attention as both the Congress and BJP prepare for a fresh electoral battle.
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According to the announced schedule, the election notification will be issued on September 29. The last date for filing nominations is October 6, scrutiny will be conducted on October 7, and candidates can withdraw their nominations till October 9. The entire election process is scheduled to be completed by October 31.
Nagpur: BJP seeks to reclaim traditional stronghold
The Nagpur Graduates’ Constituency carries considerable political significance. The seat, which covers the entire Nagpur division, including Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli, remained with the BJP and its predecessor Jana Sangh for nearly 58 years before Congress candidate Abhijit Wanjari broke the run in the 2020 election.
Wanjari defeated BJP candidate Sandip Joshi by 18,910 votes in 2020. Wanjari polled 61,701 votes against Joshi’s 42,791, according to the official 2020 result sheet published by the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra.
The result ended a long BJP hold over the constituency, which had earlier been represented by prominent leaders including Gangadharrao Fadnavis and Nitin Gadkari.
The 2026 election therefore presents a fresh contest, with the BJP seeking to regain the seat and the Congress attempting to retain it.
BJP steps up voter-registration campaign
The BJP has reportedly intensified preparations to reclaim the constituency, including a voter-registration drive. Former MLA Sudhakar Kohale and former MLC Anil Sole are among the names being discussed within the party as possible contenders, according to the political equations outlined ahead of the election.
Congress, meanwhile, is preparing to field sitting MLC Abhijit Wanjari again. His candidature has already been reported as having received the party’s backing for the Nagpur Graduates’ Constituency.
The contest has also acquired a potential third dimension with Teachers’ Bharati announcing engineer Atul Deshmukh as its candidate, according to the political developments cited in the election buildup.
With rival parties already mobilising their organisational machinery and working on voter registration, the Nagpur Graduates’ election is likely to become a closely watched contest across the Vidarbha region.
Five seats, five battles
The vacancies are in the following constituencies:
• Aurangabad Graduates’ Constituency – Satish Bhanudas Chavan
• Pune Graduates’ Constituency – Arun Ganpatrao Lad
• Nagpur Graduates’ Constituency – Abhijit Govindrao Wanjari
• Amravati Teachers’ Constituency – Kiran Ramrao Sarnaik
• Pune Teachers’ Constituency – Jayant Dinkar Asgaonkar
The 2020 results provide an indication of the political significance of the three Graduates’ seats. In the Nagpur contest, Wanjari secured 61,701 votes and crossed the winning quota of 60,747, while BJP’s Joshi finished with 42,791 votes.
Election calendar
September 29: Notification issued
October 6: Last date for nominations
October 7: Scrutiny of nominations
October 9: Last date for withdrawal
October 23: Polling, 8 am to 4 pm
October 27: Counting and declaration of results
The announcement has formally set the electoral machinery in motion, with the Nagpur Graduates’ Constituency poised for another high-profile battle between the Congress and BJP, against the backdrop of the BJP’s attempt to recover a seat it lost after decades of dominance.
