Chandrashekhar Bawankule: State BJP Chief To Contest From Kamthi (image: x.com/cbawankule)

The 288 constituencies in Maharashtra is gearing up for Assembly polls on November 20. In the first list of candidates announced by BJP, the party has fielded its State unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule from Kamthi (Kamtee) constituency.

Extending gratitude on receiving party ticket, Bawankule, veteran OBC leader said: “I thank the high command for giving me this responsibility…we will work hard and will win this seat.” As per the reports, his candidacy is considered as significant move, as the party aims to consolidate its stronghold.

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Bawankule’s appointment as party chief in 2022, is considered as a party’s strategic decision to expand and strengthen the party’s base among OBCs in Maharashtra. He belongs to the Teli community. Telis constitute considerable portion of Vidarbha population.

Bawankule comes from a farming family. A small-time contractor, he entered into politics in early 1990s, launching an outfit called the Chhatrapati Sena with an aim to “fight for the social rights of the common people”. He had joined the BJP by 1994-95, and soon came to known as close to Nitin Gadkari. Bawankule was later made the vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, a youth wing of the BJP.

Bawankule got elected as a District Council Member in 1997 and 2002. In 2004, his debut Assembly polls from Maharashtra, he won from Kamthi constituency. He defeated Republican Party of India (RPI)’s Bawankule by a margin of 7,394 votes. In 2009 and 2014, Bawankule retained the seat in Kamthi. He then served as the Energy Minister in the BJP-Shinde coalition government led by Devendra Fadnavis.

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However, in the 2019 election, the BJP denied Bawankule the poll ticket, citing that central leadership is unhappy over corruption charges during his tenure as minister. After that, he kept a low profile. But dip in party’s vote share from Vidarbha region in 2019 in comparison to 2014 was partly attributed to keeping Bawankule aside from electoral fray.

Thus, soon after the polls, Bawankule was reinstated as party general secretary and in the December 2021 Legislative Council elections, he won from Nagpur.