Shiv Sena fields four candidates in Ahilyanagar district bank polls, three from Sangamner, one from Shevgaon

The Shiv Sena has entered the election to the Ahilyanagar District Central Cooperative Bank. The party, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has fielded three candidates from Sangamner taluka and one from Shevgaon. Various political parties and factions have already been filing nominations, and the Sena's entry is likely to make the contest in the district bank tighter.

It is said that different political groups have been working to get the district bank election held unopposed. Local leaders of the party, however, feel that the Shiv Sena is not being taken into confidence in this process. For this reason, the Sena decided to show its strength separately and began fielding candidates.

The party is preparing to field candidates in various talukas of the district. As part of this, three candidates from Sangamner taluka filed their nominations. The papers were submitted to the returning officer in the special presence of MLA Vitthalrao Langhe, MLA Amol Khatal and former MP Sadashiv Lokhande.

Badshah Dattu Gunjal of Nimaj has filed his nomination from the agricultural cooperative societies constituency. Shankar Maruti Wale of Mangalapur has filed from the agriculture-allied, agricultural produce processing and marketing societies constituency. Pandharinath Madhav Ilhe has filed his candidature from the constituency reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. One Shiv Sena candidate is also in the fray from Shevgaon.

The district central cooperative bank holds an important place in the cooperative sector of Ahilyanagar district. The bank's election is therefore being watched closely by the district's political circles. Against the backdrop of efforts to hold the election unopposed, the Sena's decision to field candidates signals a change in political equations. The final picture of the election will depend on how many candidates remain in the fray once the withdrawal of nominations is complete, and which political groups strike an understanding with one another.