The Nashik Lok Sabha Constituency, the only one to be dominated by urban voters among the three constituencies in Nashik district, will see the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) put up a strong fight to regain control of the seat traditionally known to be the party’s senior leader and former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, Chhagan Bhujbal’s bastion.
On the other hand, its sitting MP from Shiv Sena, Hemant Godse, is not only fighting a strong-willed Sameer Bhujbal, nephew of Chhagan Bhujbal and former MP, but also an election jinx — that Nashik’s voters never give their sitting MPs a second consecutive term. After 1971, no sitting MP in this constituency has retained his seat when Congress’s Bhanudas Kavade did so after winning it firstin 1967.
Incidentally, Godse had defeated senior Bhujbal in the 2014 general elections by a large margin of 1.87 lakh votes.
However, Godse, who was contesting the elections in 2009 on a Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) ticket, was defeated by Sameer Bhujbal by 22,000 votes.
The election outcome for both candidates, Bhujbal and Godse will be influenced by a third factor, an independent candidate who was with the BJP until recently.
Manikrao Kokate is considered to have a strong influence in Sinnar, which is a rural and farmer-dominated area in Nashik.
What works for Godse is the strong presence of BJP-Sena in the constituency.
The Nashik Lok Sabha constituency covers six Assembly segments — Nashik East, Nashik Central, Nashik West, (all three represented by BJP) Deolali and Sinnar (both represented by Sena), and Igatpuri, which is the only segment with Congress.
On the other hand, senior Bhujbal is confident of winning the seat.
He said, “Last time, the Lok Sabha election was won on the Modi wave. Similarly, the Assembly elections took place within a few months from the general elections, so the Modi wave continued, and five Assembly seats were taken by the alliance. But this time, there is anti-incumbency, and people are angry. The rate of unemployment now is the highest seen in the past 45 years. On ground, we have seen people’s support for NCP.”
Infra factor
Considering this triangular fight, candidates have made urban infrastructure of Nashik their number one agenda. About 67% of the Nashik constituency is considered urban, and the remaining 33% is rural, according to estimates from political parties.
Godse is credited with development in Nashik, such as setting up a railways wheel factory, a testing lab of Central Power Research Institute (CPRI), or connecting Nashik to nine prime cities via air routes.
He has also promised to connect Nashik to the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) during the second phase of the project.
Godse accused Bhujbal of carrying out no development in the region during his tenure.
He said, “The NCP is banking on one flyover they built during its tenure. They constantly talk about it. It’s the only thing he has done.”
Junior Bhujbal on the other hand has accused the present government of stalling development under their regime and delaying all infrastructure projects started during NCP’s rule. Bhujbal has promised to bring more industries in the area to generate employment.
NCP is also credited with building a one-of-its-kind elevated corridor on the Mumbai Agra highway, which was built in junior Bhujbal’s tenure.
He said, “The government has done nothing for this city. All big infrastructure projects approved during our time are deliberately stalled by them. There is the issue of unemployment, that they have failed to address.”
Agrarian crisis
However, the constituency’s urban profile has not rid it of problems faced by farmers dominating rural parts Nashik. Less than two weeks ago, a pomegranate farmer committed suicide in Malhan village in Sinnar tehsil in Nashik, less than 30km away from Nashik city.
The region is well known for its produce of onions, pomegranates, grapes, and other crops in small portions, such as corn and wheat.
Onion farmers have been facing problems with dropped market prices for their produce. Farmers have also been battling drought and the burden of farm loans, issues, which their MP candidates have failed to address adequately.
First Published: Apr 26, 2019 01:59 IST
