Record 351 nominations filed for 21 seats in Sangli district bank election

A total of 351 nomination papers have been filed for 21 seats in the five-yearly election of the Sangli District Central Cooperative Bank. It is a record. Thursday was the last day for filing, and 147 people filed papers on that one day.

The bank election was announced on September 22. The nomination process began on September 24. On the last day, a large crowd of party workers gathered along with candidates at the election office set up at the district bank's headquarters. Some of those who came at the end filed dummy nominations even though they had already filed earlier.

Scrutiny of all the nominations will be held on Monday (October 5). Candidates are anxious about whose nomination will be rejected. As nominations have come in on such a large scale for the first time, a closely fought contest is considered certain.

Those who filed on the last day include MLA Idris Naikwadi, former MLA Vikramsinh Sawant, and current bank directors Mahendra Lad, Ajitrao Ghorpade and Prakash Jamdade. Former Zilla Parishad president Amarsinh Deshmukh, Zilla Parishad vice-president Hrishikesh Lad, former Sangli market committee chairman Sujay Shinde and Dinkar Patil also filed. Kadegaon Panchayat Samiti chairman Jitesh Kadam, former mayor Vaibhav Patil, Basavaraj Patil, Channappa Hortikar, Ramesh Patil, Sadashiv Khade, Sikandar Jamadar and Kedar Nalawade are also among them. Former market committee deputy chairman Mahadev Ankalgi, market committee director Babaso Mali, Kiran Lad, Samit Kadam, Pratibha Patil, Vaibhav Pawar, Nilesh Yesugade and Hanmant Deshmukh are also on the list.

Among the prominent names who filed for the election as a whole are MP Vishal Patil, former MP Sanjaykaka Patil, MLA Dr Vishwajeet Kadam, MLA Suresh Kale, Satyajit Deshmukh and Gopichand Padalkar. Former MLAs Ajitrao Ghorpade, Vikramsinh Sawant and Sumantai Patil have also filed. Along with current director Mahendra Lad, Sangramsinh Deshmukh, Prithviraj Patil, Vaibhav Shinde, Chiman Dange, Manoj Shinde, Balasaheb Honmore, Anita Sagare, Amol Babar, Devraj Patil, Viraj Naik and Randhir Naik are also preparing to contest.

Even before the bank election was announced, the dispute between the Maha Vikas Aghadi and the BJP had escalated sharply. Who will cut whose chances, and who will have to step aside, will become clear only after scrutiny.