Till now 8 Mayor became MLAs/MLC’s.
Devendra Fadanvis became CM from Mayor.
….With present Mayor of Nagpur Sandeep Joshi filing his nomination papers as Bhartiya Janata Party candidate and Mr Abhijeet Wanjari as Congress candidate for ensuing Nagpur Graduates Constituency Polls today…the war has started. It seems that the First Citizen post of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (The Mayor) has become main door to become MLA or MLC ..ie to enter in Maharashtra Legislature.
Nagpur Graduates Constituency is known as citadel of BJP and if Mr Sandeep Joshi gets elected he will be 9th Mayor to become MLA/MLC from Nagpur.
Earlier, City had already witnessed 8 Mayors to walk in on the red carpet of State Legislature from Nagpur.
It must be mentioned here, almost 68 years back in 1952 Barrister Sheshrao Wankhede, who was First Mayor of Nagpur City later became 3 times MLA. Mr Bhagwantrao Gaikwad of Congress who was Mayor of Nagpur also got elected from then Kalmeshwar Constituency while Mr TG Deshmukh got elected from Umarkhed Constituency.
Former Mayor Bhausaheb Mulak went to State Legislature by winning elections from West Nagpur Assembly constituency.
The youngest Mayor of Nagpur Mr Devendra Fadanvis not only became MLA from West & South-West Nagpur but in 2014-2019 led Maharashtra as it’s Chief Minister too. Devendra Fadanvis is as present Leader of Opposition in State Legislature.
Former Mayor Prof Anil Sole who was Mayor from 2012 got elected from Graduates Constituency in 2014 and became MLC. While Congress Leader Mr Vikas Thakre who was Mayor in 2002 got elected from Nagpur West in 2019 Assembly polls. In year 2014 the then Mayor Mr Pravin Datke who is at present Nagpur BJP city unit president has been elected in State Legislature as MLC.
Now, from Nagpur Graduates Constituency if Mr Sandeep Joshi get elected on December 1, 2020, he will become 9th Mayor to open door and enter in Maharashtra State Legislature as MLC.
It must be mentioned here that Nagpur Graduates Constituency had been represented by Late Gangadharrao Farnavis (father of former CM, Devendra Fadnavis). Later present Union Minister for Road & Transport Mr Nitin Gadkari took baton of this seat in his hands. When Mr Nitin Gadkari went to Center after electing as MP from Nagpur, Prof Anil Sole represented the seat and now Mayor Sandeep Joshi has been given a chance.
Former Deputy Mayor of Nagpur Municipal Corporation Krushnrao Pandav & Gangadharrao Fadnavis also entered in State Legislature as MLC s while Former Standing Commiittee Chairman MadanGopal Agrawal, Krishna Khopde(East Nagpur), Nana Shyamkule (Chandrapur Constituency) became MLAs & entered in State politics.
By Sachin Kumar
