Nagpur graduates' poll: Question raised over whether Vikas Thakre is on voters' list

Political activity has picked up ahead of the Nagpur Graduates' Constituency election. The Congress and the BJP are both busy with their preparations. Amid this, there is talk of Congress MLA Vikas Thakre being given election responsibility in Nagpur, and a question has come up over whether his own name is registered on the graduates' voters' list.

The question has arisen because being a member of the Legislative Assembly and having one's name on the electoral roll of a graduates' constituency are two different things. Before reaching any conclusion about Thakre, the official voters' list must be checked. This has not been confirmed for now.

Thakre is counted among the senior local leaders of the Congress. It is therefore natural for his responsibility in Nagpur to prompt discussion of the party's strategy, coordination within the organisation and preparations to reach voters. If his name is not on the list concerned, that could be significant as news, but it must be established on the basis of documents. Handling the organisational responsibility for an election and being eligible to vote in that same election cannot be treated as one and the same thing.

In this election, not only campaigning and political outreach but also the registration of eligible voters, scrutiny of the voters' list and the organisation's booth-level preparation matter. It remains to be seen what strategy the Congress has drawn up to reach voters in Nagpur and how much attention was paid to registration when responsibilities were assigned. The party's official position on these questions will also be important.

Whether Thakre is a voter in the graduates' constituency will be confirmed only by the official final voters' list. If his name is there, the picture will be clear. If it is not, that fact too should be reported only on the basis of verified records. For clarity on this question, both the official records and the view of the Congress leadership will be important.

On the contest, the main fight is between Adv Abhijit Wanjari, the outgoing MLA of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (Congress), and Sudhakar Kohale, the candidate of the Mahayuti (BJP). In all, 38 candidates are in the fray.

Polling will be held on October 23 from 8 am to 4 pm. Votes will be counted on October 27, and the aim is to complete the entire election process by October 31.

A total of 445 polling stations have been set up across six districts of Vidarbha: Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli. In all, 2,55,603 registered graduate voters will cast their votes. The administration has completed all necessary preparations for transparent polling.