Shirur is one of the keenly watched Lok Sabha seats in western Maharashtra. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI) website, NCP (SP) candidate Amol Kolhe is leading by 13,804 votes over NCP nominee Shivajirao Adhalrao as per the 11am update. Currently, Kolhe has 94,893 votes while Adhalrao has 81,089.
Previous polls
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Kolhe, a renowned Marathi actor known for his portrayals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in movies and television serials, defeated Adhalrao Patil by over 58,000 votes.
Previously, Adhalrao Patil had served as an MP thrice. He emerged victorious from Khed in 2004. However, after the delimitation in 2008, Shirur became a separate constituency. In the 2009 Lok Sabha election, Adhalrao Patil secured his second victory, defeating NCP's Vilas Lande by nearly 1.8 lakh votes. In the 2014 election, he defeated Devdatta Nikam of NCP by a margin of over three lakh votes.
Following the split in the Shiv Sena in 2022, Adhalrao Patil initially remained with Uddhav Thackeray before aligning with the Shinde faction of the party. However, with the Shirur seat allocated to Ajit Pawar's NCP in the seat-sharing talks among the ruling Mahayuti partners, Adhalrao Patil has now joined the NCP. He expressed confidence, stating that he sees the contest with Kolhe as an opportunity to win by a significant margin.
What do the numbers say?
The Shirur Lok Sabha constituency comprises six Assembly segments: Junnar, Ambegaon, Khed Alandi, Shirur, Bhosari, and Hadapsar. Except for Bhosari, all five of the Assembly seats are held by the NCP. Atul Benke serves as the MLA from Junnar, Dilip Walse-Patil from Ambegaon, Dilip Mohite-Patil from Khed Alandi, Ashok Pawar from Shirur, and Chetan Tupe from Hadapsar. Bhosari is represented by BJP's Mahesh Landge.
Meanwhile, Dilip Mohite-Patil had strongly opposed Adhalrao Patil's induction into the NCP. However, after meeting Ajit Pawar, Mohite-Patil stated that despite his rivalry with Adhalrao Patil, he would be campaigning for the Mahayuti candidate.
It will be interesting to see who clinches this high-profile seat, as the competition is expected to be intense and could come down to the wire in a nail-biting contest.
