Nashik: ‘Pragmatic’ Move By Devendra Fadnavis As Vivek Kolhe Nomination Balances Multiple Equations

Nashik: In the election of members from the Legislative Assembly to the Legislative Council, the BJP, after securing five seats, has carefully balanced regional and caste equations through its candidate list. Among these, the nomination of 36-year-old Kopargaon-based youth leader Vivek Kolhe has drawn significant attention.

Considered close to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Kolhe’s patience and loyalty during the 2024 Assembly elections have now paid off. At a time of intense competition within the party for a ticket, Fadnavis’ decision to nominate him appears to have achieved multiple political objectives in a single move.

During the 2024 Assembly elections, Kolhe, an aspirant from the Kopargaon constituency, stepped aside at Fadnavis’ request to allow the seat to go to alliance partner Nationalist Congress Party. His current nomination is widely seen as the fulfillment of the political rehabilitation promised to him at the time.

Politically, Kolhe has not shared close ties with senior leaders such as Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil or Congress veteran Balasaheb Thorat. In the 2019 elections, Vikhe was accused of aligning with opponents to defeat Snehalata Kolhe, straining relations between the two families. Similarly, Kolhe contested against Satyajeet Tambe in the Nashik Graduates’ constituency but lost due to Tambe’s strong grassroots network and election management. Against this backdrop, Fadnavis’ move is being seen as a strategic attempt to counterbalance both Vikhe and Thorat by promoting a leader from the Kolhe family.

Through Kolhe’s nomination, Fadnavis has honoured his earlier commitment while also reinforcing the BJP’s focus on nurturing young leadership. The move strengthens emerging leadership in Ahilyanagar district and subtly signals to alliance partners that the party is preparing strong candidates for potential solo contests in the future. Altogether, it reflects Fadnavis’ political foresight and strategic calculation.

In Ahilyanagar district, political influence has long been concentrated among prominent families such as the Vikhe, Thorat, Kolhe, Kale, and Tambe lineages, many of whom have maintained dominance for three to four generations. The Kolhe family from Kopargaon is one such influential political house. After veteran leader Shankarrao Kolhe’s long-standing dominance, his legacy was carried forward by his son Bipin Kolhe and daughter-in-law Snehalata Kolhe. Snehalata made a mark by winning the 2014 Assembly election, though she narrowly lost in 2019, and the third generation entered politics through Vivek Kolhe.

With a strong base in cooperative institutions like the Sanjivani Sugar Factory, the District Bank, and a directorship at IFFCO, Kolhe had earlier contested the Nashik Graduates’ constituency for the Legislative Council but faced defeat. Now, through this nomination, he has secured his entry into state-level politics via the Legislative Council.