Two-term Lok Sabha MP Shrirang Barne officially filed his nomination as the Shiv Sena candidate from the Maval parliamentary constituency on Monday. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar were present to support Barne as he submitted his nomination papers.
Before the filing, a grand rally was organised to showcase the strength of the Mahayuti alliance. Shinde, Pawar, and several other alliance leaders stood atop a vehicle, greeting the crowds.
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Barne will face off against Sanjog Waghere of the Shiv Sena (UBT), who is expected to file his nomination papers on Tuesday.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Barne defeated Ajit Pawar’s son, Parth, by over two lakh votes. Barne began his political journey in 1997 as a corporator in the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) with the Congress party. He served as chairman of the standing committee of the PCMC from 1999 to 2000 and was also president of the Pimpri-Chinchwad unit of Congress from 2002 to 2007. Barne joined the Shiv Sena in 2009 in the presence of Uddhav Thackeray. In 2012, he was elected as Sena's group leader in PCMC. Later in 2014, Barne contested the Lok Sabha polls and emerged victorious by defeating PWP candidate Laxman Jagtap and NCP nominee Rahul Narvekar. After the split in the Sena, Barne joined the faction led by Eknath Shinde.
On the other hand, Waghere transitioned to Shiv Sena (UBT) from Ajit Pawar's NCP in December last year. Waghere, hailing from Pimpri Gaon, served as a three-time corporator of the PCMC and formerly held the mayoral position in the industrial city. He also held the role of the NCP's Pimpri-Chinchwad unit president. After the party's division, Waghere aligned himself with the Ajit Pawar-led faction. Besides, Waghere's wife, Sunita Waghere, has been a corporator two times and chaired the PCMC standing committee. Furthermore, his father, Bhiku-Patil Waghere, served as the mayor of PCMC.
The Maval constituency, historically a Shiv Sena stronghold, is witnessing an intriguing battle this time between Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena.
The constituency comprises six Assembly segments, with three falling under Pune district (Pimpri, Chinchwad, and Maval), and the remaining three (Uran, Panvel, and Karjat) under Raigad district.
In total, the constituency boasts 2,509,461 voters, with 1,310,434 males, 1,198,868 females, and 159 individuals identifying as the third gender. Additionally, there are 632 overseas voters and 751 service voters.
Voting is scheduled for May 13.
