Poll Campaign Ends In 5 Lok Sabha Seats In Maharashtra; 95 Lakh People Eligible To Vote On Friday

MUMBAI/NAGPUR: More than 95 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise on Friday in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra covering five constituencies, including some Naxal-hit areas, where campaigning ended on Wednesday evening. Polling will be held in the constituencies of Nagpur, Ramtek, Bhandara-Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli-Chimur, all located in eastern-most parts of the state. 

In Nagpur, a direct fight is on cards between Union minister Nitin Gadkari of the BJP and Congress candidate Vikas Thakre. The constituency, which houses the RSS headquarters, has a total of 22,18,259 voters -- 11,10, 840 males, 11,07,197 females and 222 transgender persons. In Chandrapur, BJP candidate and Maharashtra minister Sudhir Mungantiwar is facing Congress nominee Pratibha Dhanorkar, wife of late Suresh Dhanorkar who was the lone Congress MP elected to the Lok Sabha from Maharashtra in 2019 from the seat. The Congress MP died last year. 

Chandrapur has a total of 18,36,314 voters, including 9,45,026 males and 8,91,240 females. In Bhandara-Gondia, the BJP has fielded sitting MP Sunil Mendhe, who is pitted against Congress candidate Dr Prashant Patole. Bhandara-Gondia has a total of 18,75,106 voters (9,36,041 males, 9,39,056 females and 12 transgenders). Two-time MP of BJP, Ashok Nete, is contesting against Congress nominee Dr Namdev Kirsan in Gadchiroli-Chimur. In the 2019 elections, Nete had defeated Congress candidate Dr Namdev Usendi. 

The constituency has 16,12,930 voters (8,11,836 males, 8,01,082 females and 12 transgenders). In Ramtek, the fight is between Shyamkumar Barwe of the Congress and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's candidate Raju Parwe. The constituency has a total of 20,45,717 voters (10,43,266 males, 10,02,396 females and 55 transgenders). A statement by the state electoral office said five assembly segments (spread across two LS seats) Will vote between 7 am and 3 pm, unlike other areas where voters can exercise their franchise until 6 pm. There are 95,54,667 voters in the five Lok Sabha constituencies where voting will take place on Friday (April 19). 

Of these, 48,28,142 are male, 47,26,178 female and 347 transgenders voters, said the statement. "The assembly segments of Amgaon, Armori, Gadchiroli and Aheri (Gadchiroli-Chimur Lok Sabha constituency) and Arjune Morgaon (Bhandara-Gondia LS seat) will have voting between 7 am and 3 pm. This decision has been taken because most of the voting booths in these segments are located in remote locations, and the region is known for Naxalite activities," said a poll official. 

Gadchiroli-Chimur, where some parts are affected by Naxal insurgency, is considered the largest parliamentary constituency in the state, chiefly because its remote villages are separated by vast dense forest regions. This Lok Sabha constituency consists of Amgaon assembly segment from Gondia district, Armori, Gadchiroli, and Aheri segments from Gadchiroli district, and Bramhapuri and Chimur segments from Chandrapur district. Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar is the Congress MLA from Bramhapuri.