Amit(R) and Dhiraj Deshmukh
Credit: X/@MeDeshmukh, X/@AmitV_Deshmukh
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Former Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh’s two sons, Amit and Dhiraj, are facing tough challenge in their home district of Latur in the Marathwada region as they face formidable challenge from the BJP.
Amit is a three-time sitting MLA from Latur and a former minister in the erstwhile Democratic Front government while his brother Dhiraj is a sitting one-time MLA from Latur Rural.
Their brother Riteish has joined the campaign trail to help out his older and younger brothers.
Deshmukh, a prominent Maratha leader, a two-term Chief Minister and ex-union minister, passed away on August 14, 2014.
In Latur City, Amit faces Dr Archana Patil-Chakurkar, the daughter-in-law of former Lok Sabha Speaker and ex-Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil-Chakurkar. The Patils hail from the Lingayat community.
In Latur Rural, Dhiraj faces Ramesh Karad, a OBC leader and Latur district BJP President, who is currently an MLC. Karad is nephew of Pune-based education baron Vishwanath Karad. The Latur Lok Sabha seat is currently represented by Shivajirao Kalge of the Congress.
Both Dr Archana Patil and Ramesh Karad are banking on anti-incumbency.
“I will always be accessible to the people of Latur,” said Dr Archana Patil, who had joined the BJP ahead of Lok Sabha polls. Dr Archana Patil is the Chairperson of Lifecare Hospital and Research Centre in Udgir.
Shivraj Patil had been a seven-time MP from Latur and was Lok Sabha Speaker, Minister of State for Defence in the Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi-headed Congress governments and the Home Minister in the Dr Manmohan Singh-led UPA government. After that he was appointed Governor of Punjab.
In the north, there are candidates from Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi led by Prakash Ambedkar and this could mean the Deshmukh brothers losing on some Dalit-Muslim votes.
This week, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally in Latur.
"We have seen the results of the Lok Sabha polls...the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly polls are very important as it would mark the beginning of the campaign to make Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, the Prime Minister after the next Lok Sabha polls," Amit said in the rally.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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