Nagpur graduates' seat: Vanjari gets 2,250 new forms as Congress, BJP race on voter rolls

Political activity has picked up in Nagpur district ahead of the upcoming graduates' constituency election. The Central Nagpur Congress Committee has stepped up its preparations for the contest.

Under the guidance of MLA Vikas Thakre, Congress workers ran a voter registration drive across the area and handed MLA Abhijit Vanjari 2,250 registration forms for new voters.

At a workers' meeting held on the occasion, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary and corporator Atul Kotecha said MLA Abhijit Vanjari has for several years consistently raised the problems of graduates, the difficulties of educated unemployed youth and issues related to higher education, and has pressed these before the government.

The meeting resolved to strengthen the organisation further and bring more graduate voters onto the electoral rolls, and workers were urged to throw their full strength into the election campaign. Dr Mehul Advani conducted proceedings, while Krutal Piyush Akare proposed the vote of thanks. MLA Abhijit Vanjari said all workers had resolved to work hard to record a win again this time. Waseem Khan, Saeeda Ansari, Rinku Jain, Shrikant Dholke, Ravi Shyam Parate, Vinod Ingole, Abhijit Thakre and Ashok Nikhade were among those present.

The BJP has also stepped up its organisational preparations in both Nagpur city and rural areas. A key party meeting was held in Nagpur under the leadership of guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, where members discussed at length registering as many graduate voters as possible in the two to three days remaining after the election date is announced.

The BJP had already begun preparations for its graduate voter registration drive at the organisational level, but with the election announcement coming earlier than expected, the party stressed further speeding up the campaign in the remaining days. The meeting called on all office-bearers, workers and elected representatives in Nagpur's urban and rural areas to actively join the voter registration drive.

The meeting was attended by city president Dayashankar Tiwari, district president Anand Raut, MLAs Praveen Datke, Krishna Khopde, Mohan Mate, Sanjay Bhende, Ashish Deshmukh, Charan Thakur and Sameer Meghe, former MLAs Vikas Kumbhare, Anil Sole, Sudhakarrao Kohle, Ashok Nete, Mallikarjun Reddy, Vikas Mahatme and Narendra Borkar, among other senior office-bearers. Bawankule guided the meeting, the opening remarks were made by Dayashankar Tiwari and Adarsh Patle, Vishnu Changde also offered guidance, and Rushikesh Gawande conducted proceedings.