Yavatmal Congress leaders unhappy as new faces pitched in

State Congress president Manikrao Thakre's son Rahul filed his nomination shortly before deadline from the constituency

Even as a quadrangular fight is likely in the seven assembly segments of Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, some local Congress leaders are irked at being sidelined with new faces being given tickets.

In Yavatmal Assembly constituency, state Congress president Manikrao Thakre's son Rahul filed his nomination shortly before deadline. Nandini Nilesh Parvekar, the sitting MLA from there, had been earlier recommended for the seat.

At Digras seat, the party has fielded Devanand Pawar, a new face. Local Congress leader Sanjay Deshmukh, who was earlier an independent MLA from Digras, said, "I should have been considered either for Digras or Yavatmal, but the party did not give me the ticket."

Deshmukh claimed that he had joined the party in 2009 and at that time he was assured of a ticket during the next state elections.

Likewise, Congress leader Jeevan Patil, the younger brother of former MP late Uttamrao Patil, said he was hoping to get a ticket from Digras. Jeevan said his family has contributed a lot towards the party, but his repeated requests for a ticket were ignored.

Barring Yavatmal seat, the Congress has retained all the sitting MLAs for their respective constituencies. In 2004, there were eight Assembly segments in Yavatmal which were reduced to seven in 2009 after delimitation.

The total strength of the electorate in the district's seven constituencies - Wani, Ralegaon (ST), Yavatmal, Digras, Arni (ST), Pusad and Umarkhed (SC) - is 20,22,345.

The four major parties - Congress, NCP, BJP and Shiv Sena - have put up candidates in all the seven cities, while it would be a five-cornered contest at Wani where Raj Thackeray's MNS has also fielded a candidate.

There are 2,339 polling stations in the district of which 60 have been identified as sensitive and 11 as most sensitive, Chief Returning Officer and District Collector Rahulranjan Mahiwal said.

Eighteen police check posts have been made under 29 police stations in the district to keep a close vigil on the incoming vehicles during the election period.