Vidharbha will see close contest

MANDATE 2004

Political parties in Maharashtra anticipate a close contest between the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance and the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) combine in the 11 parliamentary constituencies that comprise the Vidharbha region, where sitting members of Parliament (MPs) will face a run for their money.

Voting for 24 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra will take place on Tuesday.

The fielding of candidates by the Mayawati led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in all the 11 parliamentary constituencies in the Vidharbha region is expected to cut into the traditional backward caste vote bank of the Congress-NCP combine.

In Buldhana, for instance, Shiv Sena's sitting MP Andandrao Adsul was elected in 1999 with 2,94, 922 votes. The Congress nominee Mukum Wasnik secured 2, 49, 915 (35.44 per cent of the vote share) and the NCP candidate Ashruji M Sardar secured 1, 33, 165 (18.88 per cent of votes cast). Now the combined Congress-NCP alliance may make winning a daunting proposition for Adsul this time around.

Similarly, in Akola sitting MP Prakash Ambedkar (grandson of the father of the Indian constitution, B R Ambedkar), who belongs to the Bharip Bahujan Mahasanght (BBM), may find the going tough, since he has not formally allied with the Congress so far.

In the 1999 parliamentary elections Ambedkar secured 40.53 per cent of the votes cast and won the seat with 2, 72, 243 votes, defeating his nearest rival of the BJP who secured 2, 63, 527 votes. The NCP candidate secured 1, 23, 640 votes.

In the 1999 polls, Ambedkar enjoyed the formal support of the Congress party. This time around the Congress-NCP alliance is expected to eat into his share of votes, which may indirectly benefit the BJP candidate from Akola"" Dhotre ShyamRao.