Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: After A Break, BJP State President Chandrashekhar Bawankule Returns To Fray

Nagpur: Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday filed his nomination from Kamptee assembly constituency in Nagpur rural. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was present on the occasion as Bawankule arrived riding atop a truck along with a large gathering of supporters at the Kamptee tehsil office.

Who Is Chandrashekhar Bawankule?

Bawankule who had a humble beginning as an autorickshaw driver was noticed for his leadership qualities by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari almost two decades ago. For decades Kamptee was a Congress stronghold. But the scene changed in 2004 when the BJP gave a ticket to Bawankule for the first time to contest from there. Ever since the seat has been retained by the BJP. Bawankule won it in 2004, 2009, and 2014. He was the energy minister in theFadnavis government.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP sprung a surprise by denying him the ticket for a reason that was never disclosed or publicly discussed. He was replaced by little-known local leader Tekchand Sawarkar who managed to win the seat mostly because of Bawankule's influence. But soon after that shock treatment, Bawankule was rehabilitated when the party made him state unit president. Later he was also nominated for an MLC post in 2022. This time the BJP again nominated Bawankule from the assembly seat, though he has almost four years left in his MLC tenure. This is because he wields good influence in the Teli community across Vidarbha and can swing the community votes in BJP's favour.