Saturday, May 4

Bhausaheb Wakchaure Is Contesting From Shirdi Again, This Time On Shiv Sena (UBT) Ticket

Edited by Fathimathu Shana

Shiv Sena fielded former MP of the Shirdi Lok Sabha constituency, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, from the same constituency for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The Shirdi seat belongs to candidates from the Scheduled Castes. Wachaure won the seat during the 2009 election on (undivided) Shiv Sena ticket. He won with a vote margin of 3,59,921 votes.

Wakchaure joined the Indian National Congress in 2014 and contested from Shirdi again, this time on Congress ticket. However, he was defeated by Shiv Sena candidate Sadashiv Lokhande , who is the current MP of Shirdi. in 2019, Wakchaure fought the election as an independent candidate but lost Lokhande once again. In 2023, after a split in Shiv Sena, the politician joined Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) faction.

The Shirdi Lok Sabha constituency was formed only in 2009, and Shiv Sena has won the seat during all three general elections that took place after that. While Wakchaure held the seat in 2009, the remaining two terms saw Lokhande.

Shirdi has six assembly constituencies, namely Akole which is in the hands of INC’s Kiran Lahamate, Sangamner, which is also in Congress’ hand with Balasaheb Thorat as MP, Shirdi seat is with BJP’s Radhakrishna Vikhe Patel, Kopargaon is also with Congress and Ashutosh Kale is in power, Shrirampur is also under Congress as Lahu Kanade in power, Nevasa is under Shiv Sena’s Shankarrao Gadakh. Four out of six assembly seats are with Congress.