Maharashtra will hold single-phase elections on November 20, and Nandurbar district has become a hotspot for political instability and opportunism. The Gavit family, led by Vijaykumar Gavit, the state’s tribal development minister, plays a significant role in all the assembly constituencies in Nandurbar district.


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Four members of the Gavit family, including Vijaykumar’s daughter and former BJP MP Heena, are contesting the elections in all four constituencies of Nandurbar. Among them, two are representing the BJP and Congress, the family's former rivals and the other two are running as Independents against their former allies.


Vijaykumar Gavit carries a stronghold in Nandurbar district where approximately 70 per cent of the population is tribal and the region has consistently ranked among the lowest in Maharashtra's Human Development Index, as per the Indian Express reports.


Vijaykumar Gavit, the 69-year-old politician is a six-time MLA from Nandurbar out of which once as an Independent, thrice with the undivided NCP, and twice with the BJP. Over the course of more than two decades, he has also held the position of cabinet minister in Maharashtra under various governments.


As per the reports, the per capita income of the area is just a tenth of the state average and many locals depend mostly on government assistance.