Congress's Abhijeet Wanjari wins Nagpur graduates' seat on Karale's second-preference votes

Nagpur, October 28: The result of the Nagpur divisional graduates' constituency election turned around in the final round of counting. Congress candidate Abhijeet Wanjari defeated BJP's Sudhakar Kohale. The second-preference votes of independent candidate Nitesh Karale, popularly known as Karale Guruji, proved decisive in the contest.

The counting saw several twists. The BJP trailed at the start, after which Kohale built a lead of about 4,000 votes. After the votes of 30 candidates had been counted, his lead was reported to have grown to nearly 5,000.

However, the final round of second-preference counting changed the picture. Kohale's lead shrank to about 1,200 votes, with around 14,000 votes linked to Karale still to be counted. A large share of Karale's second-preference votes is reported to have gone to Wanjari, who wiped out Kohale's lead and went on to win.

The result is a major setback for the BJP, as the constituency has been the party's traditional stronghold for decades. The influence of leaders such as Gangadharrao Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has long been associated with the region.

There was already resentment within the party over the choice of candidate. Anil Sole was denied a ticket in the previous election, and the BJP lost it. This time, the decision to field Sudhakar Kohale despite the reported discontent among party workers again raised questions about unity within the party.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is reported to have gone to Anil Sole's home to placate him after Sole's open revolt. The Chief Minister stayed in Nagpur for two days and held meetings with representatives of educational institutions, social organisations and business groups to strengthen the party's campaign.

The BJP had hoped that a higher turnout would see Kohale win on first-preference votes alone. The last rounds of counting upended that hope.

Wanjari's win is likely to intensify debate within the BJP on candidate selection, organisational unity and the handling of internal dissent. The result also shows how much second-preference votes matter in a graduates' constituency election, where an early lead is no guarantee of victory. In the final stage, Karale's vote base was decisive, turning a close contest into a major political setback for the BJP in Nagpur.