Mohan Hambarde is the Congress’ sitting MLA from the Nanded South assembly constituency and the Congress candidate for the assembly 2024 polls. Now, after a long wait, the BJP has announced the candidature of his elder brother, Santuk Hambarde, for the Lok Sabha by-polls on Monday. Both brothers will be in the election field, but from different parties.
MP Vasantrao Chavan died recently, prompting the declaration of Lok Sabha polls in Nanded simultaneously with the assembly polls. Congress’ Vasantrao Chavan had defeated former MP and BJP candidate Pratap Patil Chikhlikar in the Lok Sabha elections with a significant margin of around 60,000 votes. However, Chavan died just two months after the election. As a result, by-polls for the Nanded Lok Sabha seat were announced. Congress had given the candidature to Chavan’s son, Ravindra Chavan, but the BJP had not revealed its candidate until Monday. Santuk Hambarde, Marotrao Kawale, Ram Patil Ratolikar, and others were interested in contesting the election for the BJP.
On the eve of the filing of the nomination form, the BJP declared Santuk Hambarde as the candidate for the Lok Sabha election. Similarly, Congress has fielded his younger brother and sitting MLA Mohan Hambarde once again from the Nanded South assembly constituency. Thus, both brothers will be on the election ground but on different platforms.
Vasantrao Chavan won the Lok Sabha election by a large margin, defeating former BJP MP Pratap Patil Chikhlikar. Now, Congress is trying to capitalize on the sentiments of the voters by fielding his son, Rajendra Chavan, for the Lok Sabha by-polls. The competition between Chavan and Hambarde is expected to be interesting, experts opine.
