Mumbai: Shiv Sena candidate Shrinivas Vanaga was bested on Thursday after giving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, Rajendra Gavit, a tough fight. The BJP, however, suffered a major setback in the Bhandara-Gondia constituency in Vidarbha where Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Madhukar Kukade defeated his BJP opponent Hemant Patle by more than 40,000 votes. Both seats were with the BJP earlier.
The BJP won the Palghar bypoll, which was necessitated by the demise of its MP Chintaman Vanaga, due to the division of votes. Mr Gavit, who secured 2,72,782 votes, won by a margin of just 29,572 votes. Mr Vanaga, the son of the deceased MP, secured 2,43,210 votes. Mr Gavit had quit the Congress and joined the BJP just a few days before the election. While Mr Vanaga joined the Shiv Sena, claiming that his family had been ignored by the BJP.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had made securing the seat a matter of prestige, with the BJP trying to woo the north Indian populace with the likes of Bhojpuri actor/BJP leader Manoj Tiwari and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath taking part in its campaign.
The candidate of the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, a local party led by MLA Hitendra Thakur, Baliram Jadhav, got 2,22,838 votes while CPI(M) candidate Kiran Gahala secured 71,887 votes. Damodar Shingada, the candidate of the Congress, which had not taken much effort in this contest, stood fifth overall. The BJP used the strategy of dividing votes, which worked to some extent and cleared the way for Gavit’s victory, a senior leader claimed.
Mr Gavit, a tribal leader, fought the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and 2016 Assembly bypoll on a Congress ticket but lost.
Total votes
Rajendra Gavit (BJP) – 2,72,782
Shrinivas Vanaga (Shiv Sena) – 2,43,210
Baliram Jadhav (BVS) – 2,22,838
Kiran Gagla (CPI(M)) – 71,887
Damodar Shingada (Congress) – 47,714
NOTA – 16,884
The Bhandara-Gondia byelections were necessitated due to the resignation of BJP MP Nana Patole because of differences with the CM and party leadership. Mr Patole joined the Congress and he was initially opposed to giving this seat to the NCP.
Madhukar Kukade (NCP) – 2,70,471 votes
Hemant Patle (BJP) – 2,43,204 votes.
