Kartik Lokhande's blog

23-05-14 Congress blames LBT, State Govt inaction, non-cooperation of NCP for debacle in LS poll in Nagpur By Kartik Lokhande In the post-poll analysis of debacle of Congress in Nagpur city and Ramtek constituencies of Lok Sabha, the leaders from the city and district blamed various factors including imposition of Local Body Tax (LBT), inaction of State Government, and non-cooperation of ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Manikrao Thakre have been conducting constituency-wise meetings to arrive at the reasons for the party’s poor show in recently held Lok Sabha elections. On Friday, assessment meeting for Nagpur city and Ramtek constituencies was held in Mumbai. Selected leaders including Congress candidates Mukul Wasnik (candidate from Ramtek) and Vilas Muttemwar (candidate from Nagpur) were invited for the meeting. EGS Minister Dr Nitin Raut, Minister of State for Finance Rajendra Mulak...

18-05-14 * Besides, Lok Sabha constituency wise review meetings will be held between May 20 and 22 By Kartik Lokhande In the wake of decimation of Congress party in the State and never-before spectacular success to Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena-RPI (A) ‘Mahayuti’ in Lok Sabha election, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has taken up the exercise of ‘introspection’ and an assessment of ‘what went wrong’. “A meeting has been called on Monday in Mumbai to assess the situation after Lok Sabha polls, and deliberate upon the future course of action,” MPCC chief Manikrao Thakre told ‘The Hitavada’ over telephone on Sunday. The meeting will be held at 1 pm on Monday at Tilak Bhavan, Dadar (Mumbai). Apart from Manikrao Thakre, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan will attend the meeting. The office-bearers of MPCC and some of the frontal organisations have been invited to the meeting. Replying to a query, Thakre said that resignations tendered by various ministers including Industri...

(Graphics by Rammurti Nerlay, Text by Kartik Lokhande)

16-05-14 For the first time, BJP-Sena combine bags all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Vidarbha region, which was considered a Congress bastion so far as the party had won all seats in five elections held previously By Kartik Lokhande  Well in tune with the national mood, Vidarbha also gave a clear mandate to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena alliance. It’s historic clean sweep for BJP-Sena in Vidarbha, which was assumed to be a Congress bastion. The alliance has won all 10 seats in the region. If one takes a look at Lok Sabha election history of Vidarbha, Congress had swept all the seats in 1951, 1957, 1980, 1984, and 1998. Congress and its allies including various groups of Republican Party of India dominated the results tally till 1998, barring 1996, elections of Lok Sabha. In 1996, for the first time, BJP-Sena alliance bagged nine out of total 11 seats in the region while Congress could secure only two. However, BJP-Sena could not keep up the stellar p...

29-04-14 Though the sale of country liquor was down between April 2013 and March 2014, it registered an increase by 1,03,529 litres in first seven days of April 2014 By Kartik Lokhande  The official report forwarded by State Excise Department to Election Commission of India (ECI), reveals that liquor worth Rs 13.07 crore was sold in first seven days of the month of April, that is till three days prior to polling for Lok Sabha seats. Every time, the elections are held, people talk about sale of liquor and transfer of cash. This time, Election Commission of India (ECI) had kept a close vigil on both, which resulted in seizure of liquor and cash both across the country. This time, polling for 11 Lok Sabha seats in Vidarbha was scheduled on April 10. The administration had declared ‘dry days’ on April 8 on account of ‘Ram Navami’, and on April 9 and April 10 on account of pre-polling and polling day. In these three ‘dry days’, the official report does not reveal any s...

11-04-14 For the first time, number of voters who exercised their franchise in Lok Sabha poll in Vidarbha has crossed the mark of one crore By Kartik Lokhande  There is one good news and one bad news for Nagpur constituency of Lok Sabha. The percentage of polling for this constituency has increased by 13.52 per cent in 2014 over the previous election held in 2009. This rise is the highest among all 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in Vidarbha region. Now, the bad news. Nagpur is also the constituency that has witnessed voter turn-out of 57.12 per cent, which is the lowest in all 10 constituencies of the region. As the final figures for polling in all 10 constituencies of Lok Sabha in Vidarbha region came out on Friday, the overall picture of voter turn-out became clear. The region as a whole has seen an impressive rise of 7.14 per cent in polling, over the previous Lok Sabha election held in 2009. As against 55.74 per cent polling in 2009, the region has seen 62.88 per...

09-04-14 Staff Reporter As the voters started searching for their polling booth a couple of days ahead of polling scheduled on Thursday, some were happy to find their names but some were not. Once again, the same old story appears to have been repeated with many voters not finding their names in the electoral rolls. Several persons approached the Collector office, Election Branch, and made calls to newspaper offices on Tuesday and Wednesday to complain that their names were missing from electoral rolls. The complaints of varied nature. Some complained that their name was in electoral rolls in previous election, but could not be found now. Some others complained that their names could not be found on website https://ceo.maharashtra.gov.in though those were in hard copy of electoral rolls. Some younger voters who enrolled for the first time in special camp conducted on March 9, expressed disappointment over their names not appearing in the electoral rolls. In many case...

09-04-14 As Vidarbha region goes to polling for 10 Lok Sabha seats on April 10, here is a pre-poll look at a few constituencies, candidates, and poll scene there. Though there may be different predictions based on a variety of factors (including the ‘satta’ rates), there are several aspects that make the elections this time interesting. These factors are first-time voters, first-time contenders, anti-incumbency, wave etc. It remains to be seen if first-time voters go to vote in expected numbers. If they go, who will their majority vote for, is one factor that may dent or brighten prospects of candidates. Besides, elections this time are a test of voter-base for newcomer Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as it will decide if it is a serious contender in Indian politics. In the previous election, Vidarbha region had seen Congress winning four seats, Shiv Sena winning three, BJP winning two, and NCP winning a seat. Thus, Congress-NCP as well as BJP-Sena both had got five seats each l...

Photograph taken on March 28, 2014, outside CM's official residence 'Ramgiri' in Nagpur. On this very day, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi visited Wardha and Wadsa-Desaiganj to address LS poll campaign meetings for Congress candidates Sagar Datta Meghe and Dr Namdeo Dalluji Usendi, respectively. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, MPCC chief Manikrao Thakre also accompanied Rahul Gandhi. CM also addressed a poll campaign meeting for Congress candidate (Ramtek) Mukul Wasnik at Digdoh in the evening.

06-04-14 Vid had seen highest turn-out of voters in 2nd general polls * The lowest turn-out was in the year 1991, when the country witnessed the economic crisis By Kartik Lokhande With all the political parties, countless social and voluntary organisations, and the administrative machinery motivating people to go to vote, it will be interesting to see how many voters turn-out on April 10, the polling date for Lok Sabha elections this time in Vidarbha region. This also calls for a look-back at the voter turn-out in Vidarbha in the past general elections, and the events that might have affected the polling percentage. The region, which now comprises 11 districts and 10 Lok Sabha constituencies, has never recorded less than 50 per cent voter turn-out. It recorded 78.88 per cent polling in the first general elections to Lok Sabha held in the year 1951. The highest-ever polling percentage in the region was registered in 1957, when the second general elections to Lok Sab...

23-03-14 LS Constituency Profile -- Ramtek By Kartik Lokhande  Of a total 14 Lok Sabha elections it saw till 2009, Ramtek constituency has elected Congress candidate 12 times. The only two times when the constituency chose another candidate -- that is, of Shiv Sena -- was in 1999 and 2004. Come 2014, and once again there is a contest between Congress’ heavyweight Mukul Wasnik and Shiv Sena candidate Krupal Tumane. Ramtek constituency of Lok Sabha came into being in 1957 elections. In the very first election, as happened in most of the constituencies in the country, Ramtek elected Congress candidate Krishnarao G Deshmukh. Since then, Congress candidates got elected from this constituency till 1998. In 1999, for the first time, Shiv Sena wrested this constituency from Congress. Shiv Sena candidate Subodh Mohite got elected and went on to become Union Heavy Industries Minister in BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government. He got elected the in the next e...

22-03-14 * The total worth of assets of BJP candidate Nitin Gadkari and his family is Rs 20.23 crore while that of AAP candidate Anjali Damania is Rs 19.31 crore Staff Reporter The last day of filing nominations for Lok Sabha polls saw some prominent candidates joining the fray. All eyes were specially on former National President of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Nagpur candidate Nitin Gadkari, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from Nagpur constituency Anjali Damania, and Shiv Sena candidate from Ramtek constituency Krupal Tumane. The assets shown by them in their affidavits were in discussion throughout the evening in various circles. As per the affidavits filed by these candidates, Gadkari is the richest candidate in Nagpur district -- that is, in both the constituencies of Nagpur and Ramtek. The total worth of movable and immovable assets of himself and his family is Rs 20,23,61,475. This includes his own assets worth Rs 13,34,98,792 including movable and immovable...

 (Published in The Hitavada CityLine on February 28, 2014)

27-02-14 * BJP pits Nitin Gadkari (Nagpur), Hansraj Ahir (Chandrapur), Ashok Nete (Gadchiroli), Nana Patole (Bhandara-Gondia), Sanjay Dhotre (Akola) * AAP fields Wamanrao Chatap (Chandrapur), Prashant Mishra (Bhandara-Gondia), and Bhawna Wasnik (Amravati) * NCP announces candidature to Praful Patel (Bhandara-Gondia), Navneet Rana (Amravati), and Krishnarao Ingle (Buldhana)  Staff Reporter With seasoned Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and first-timer Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) declaring lists of candidates from some Lok Sabha constituencies in Vidarbha, political atmosphere for Lok Sabha elections has started heating up. Now, all eyes are Congress which is yet to declare its candidates. As expected, BJP has announced ticket to Nitin Gadkari, former National President of the party, from his home-turf Nagpur. Gadkari was tipped to contest from Nagpur and he also had dropped enough hints in this regard. Already, he had started consolidating ...