Yeola Election Result: Chhagan Bhujbal Retains His Home Turf
Sitting NCP MLA and Minister Chhagan Bhujbal won the seat by defeating NCP (SP) candidate Manikrao Shinde with a margin of 26,400 votes. Though early trends show Shinde’s lead against Bhujbal, latter ascertained his position later.
Yeola constituency is Bhujbal’s home turf and he has been representing the constituency since 2004. However, this time, he posed a tough challenge through the candidacy of his former friend Shinde and stiff opposition from Marathas due to his aggressive stance against their reservation demand.
In the 2019 election, Bhujbal won the seat, defeating Shiv Sena’s Sambhaji Pawar. Bhujbal secured 1,26,237 votes, while Pawar garnered 69,712 votes. In the previous 2014 election, Bhujbal won the seat by defeating Pawar by a margin of 46,442 votes.
The Yevla assembly segment is located in Nashik district in north Maharashtra. Aside from Shinde and Bhujbal, other aspirants for the seat are Kunal Darade, the son of former UBT MLC Narendra Darade and former chairman of Lasalgaon APMC Jaydatta Holkar.
Bhujbal, who started as a vegetable vendor in Byculla, joined the Shiv Sena in the 1960s. He entered politics being influenced by the impassioned speeches of Bal Thackeray. When Thackeray formed the Shiv Sena in 1966, Bhujbal was among the initial members who joined. He championed for the rights and pride of the Marathi community.
Bhujbal made his electoral success as Mayor of Mumbai and his debut assembly poll win from Mazgaon was in 1985 and again in 1990. When Thackeray made Manohar Joshi opposition leader in the state assembly, he quit Shiv Sena and joined the Congress in 1991. In 1995, Sharad Pawar, who became Bhujbal’s new mentor, made the latter the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council.
When Pawar quit the Congress and formed the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Bhujbal joined him and was made the first state president of the party. When the Congress-NCP formed government in 1999, Bhujbal became deputy chief minister. But in 2003, allegations about the Telgi stamp paper scam forced him to resign from the post. He became Deputy Chief Minister again in 2009 but vacated the position for Ajit Pawar. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, he contested unsuccessfully from Nashik Constituency.
