Hingna: Tough Fight Between Incumbent MLA Sameer Meghe And Former Minister Ramesh Bang

Nagpur, Maharashtra: As the election date is getting closer, a tight fight is expected between the BJP and the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP in Hingna constituency. As two-term BJP MLA Sameer Meghe is seeking a third win from the constituency, NCP (SP) leader and former minister Rameshchandra Bang’s entry in the poll fray makes the battle a fierce one.

Bang served as the Minister of Food and Civil Supplies in the Congress-NCP coalition government. A seasoned politician, Bhang’s candidacy echoes decades of political experience and stability, which makes him a strong contender for the seat. However, his past contests in the constituency failed to render results.

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In the 2014 elections, Meghe emerged victorious with a good margin of votes. He garnered 84,139 votes, while his opponent Bang received 60,981 votes. In the 2019 election, Meghe retained the seat, defeating NCP candidate Vijaybabu Ghodmare by a margin of 46,167 votes. Ghodmare represented the constituency in 2009; he was then part of the saffron party. In the 2009 assembly polls, Ghodmare secured victory by defeating Bang.

Sameer Meghe comes from an influential political family and his father, Wardha Datta Meghe, was a Congress MP. Sameer elected as the Nagpur District President of the Indian Youth Congress in 2011. In 2014, Sameer, along with his father and brother, resigned from the Congress and joined the BJP.

Aside from them, other candidates in the fray include Dr Devendra Kaikade (Bahujan Samaj Party), Bijaram Kinkar (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena), Aniruddha Shewale (Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi), Narendra Dhone (Azad Samaj Party), Nasim Alam (People’s Party of India [Democratic]), Madhuru Vijendra Rajput (Socialist Unity Centre of India [Communist]), and independent candidates.

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The Hingna constituency is located in the Nagpur district. Though it is a general seat, Dalit voters play an influential role in deciding the electoral fortune of the constituency. The 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra will go to polls on November 20 and counting of votes will take place on November 23.