Nanded: Political activity has intensified in the Nanded district as parties begin preparations for the forthcoming municipal corporation and council elections. The outcome of these polls is expected to serve as a litmus test for several prominent leaders, including three MPs and ten MLAs, whose political reputation is on the line.
Elections have been announced for 12 municipal councils and one panchayat samiti in the district. Major political parties have assigned key responsibilities to their influential district leaders. Among them, MP Ashok Chavan, MP Nagesh Ashtikar, MLA Prataprao Chikhlikar and MLA Hemant Patil have already become active across various areas, taking charge of campaign strategies for their respective parties.
Under the organisational framework of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), several leaders, including MP Ashok Chavan, MP Ajit Gopchade, and MLAs Ragesh Pawar and Shrijaya Chavan, have been entrusted with crucial election duties. MLA Prataprao Chikhlikar is leading efforts for the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction).
Meanwhile, MLA Hemant Patil is spearheading the campaign for the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) with the support of MLA Balaji Kalyankar, Anand Bondharkar and Baburao Kadam. MP Nagesh Ashtikar has been tasked with overseeing the Shiv Sena (UBT faction) in the Nanded and Hingoli districts.
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For first-time MLAs such as Shrijaya Chavan, Anand Bondharkar and Baburao Kadam, the local body elections will be an important opportunity to prove their organisational capabilities. Similarly, second-term MLA Jitesh Antapurkar, who lacks extensive experience in civic polls, will also face a significant test.
Political observers believe the elections will extend beyond routine local issues, emerging as a contest that could reshape the political standing of the district’s key figures. The results are expected to reflect the public’s current mood and test the strength of party structures in Nanded.
