Sitting MP Sanjay Mandlik: Shiva Sena Candidate From Kolhapur Constituency (image-facebook/Eknath Shinde-led Shiva Sena has fielded Sanjay Sadashivrao Mandlik as the candidate from the Kolhapur constituency. He is the sitting MP from Kolhapur constituency. Sanjay Mandlik is the son of the late Sadashivrao Mandlik who was elected as the member of the parliament four times from Kolhapur constituency.
Making the headlines, recently MP Sanjay Mandlik claimed that his Congress opponent Shahu Maharaj Chhatrapati was not the “real heir” to the royal seat and he was adopted. This controversial comment was made during a public rally at Nesari in Chandigarh taluka. He said, “The current Maharaj of Kolhapur is not the true heir, he is adopted. You and I (citizens), who possess the ideology of Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar, are the real heirs”.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Sanjay Mandlik won the Kolhapur election and defeated the trailing candidate Dhananjay Mahadik of the Nationalist Congress Party with a margin of 270558 votes. Meanwhile, in the 2014 general election, Dhananjay Mahadik was elected as the MP from the seat after defeating Sanjay Mandlik by securing 6,07,665 votes.
Kolhapur is one of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra state India. After the delimitation, the constituency consists of six Vidhan Sabha segments.
Sanjay Mandlik has held several positions. In 2003, he was elected as the president of the Kolhapur District Co-operative Board. He then became a member of Kolhapur Zilla Parishad in 2012. And then went on to become the chairman of the Zila Parishad.
In 2014, Sanjay was appointed as the Saha-Samparkapramukh of the Siva Sena party. He has served as the director of the Kolhapur District Central cooperative bank. In 2022, the Shiva Sena leader was re-elected as the director of Kolhapur District Central Cooperative Bank.