Two triangular fights likely in Lok Sabha Phase 2 in Maharashtra

Of the 10 seats going for poll in this second phase, 3 sitting MPs are not in the fray this year.
Ashok Chavan would test his luck in this phase.  (File | PTI)
Ashok Chavan would test his luck in this phase. (File | PTI)

MUMBAI: At least two of the 10 Lok Sabha seats, going to poll in the second phase on April 18, would see triangular fights. This was clear on the last day of filing nominations for the phase on Tuesday. While candidates from Akola, Beed, Nanded and Solapur had filed their nominations on Monday, in the remaining six constituencies of Marathwada, the papers were filed today.

Of the 10 seats going for poll in this second phase, 3 sitting MPs are not in the fray this year. While the BJP replaced sitting MP Dr Sunil Gaikwad with building contractor Sudhakar Shringare in Latur, the Shiv Sena too kept away its firebrand MP Ravindra Gaikwad in Osmanabad and gave ticket to OmRaje Nimbalkar. Congress MP Rajiv Satav is not too keen on contesting Lok Sabha and hence party has fielded Subhash Wankhede from Hingoli. He would face Shiv Sena's sitting MLA Hemant Patil.

The only seating MP of the Congress in the state MPCC president Ashok Chavan would test his luck in this phase. He would face BJP's Pratap Patil Chikhlikar. Interestingly Chikhlikar is Shiv Sena MLA, who had joined BJP to contest Lok Sabha polls against Chavan.

BJP MP Sanjay Dhotre would be trying for second term from Akola, while Hidayat Patel (INC) and Prakash Ambedkar (VVA) would be trying to defeat Dhotre. In 2014, Dhotre had defeated Patel throwing Ambedkar to the third place. Ambedkar's insistance on this seat had derailed his talks with the Congress for alliance, sources have said.

Apart from Akola, Solapur would see triangular fight in this phase. While Ambedkar in the common candidate on both these seats, he will take on Sushilkumar Shinde (Congress) and Dr Jaisiddheshwar Swami (BJP) at Solapur.

Beed, which was won by BJP's ace leader Gopinath Munde and later by his daughter Pritam in the byelection, is likely to be an easy contest for the BJP as Munde would be facing NCP's Bajrang Sonawane.

Amarawati and Buldana are the two constituencies in this phase where the same pare of condidates from the same parties would be asking for people's mandate once again. Both the seats are currently held by the Shiv Sena.

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