BJP likely to field Bharti Pawar for Dindori seat

NASHIK: The induction of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) regional vice-president Bharti Pawar into BJP is a strong indication that the saffron party is apparently in a mood to bench its sitting MP from Dindori reserved constituency, Harischandra Chavan, for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.


Pawar, a qualified medical professional, joined the BJP on Friday in presence of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Nashik district guardian minister Girish Mahajan and other top state BJP leaders.

“It’s a near certainty that it could be the end of road for Chavan as far as getting the BJP ticket for Dindori seat is concerned,” a BJP leader said.

Moreover, what has fuelled further speculation of Pawar being given the ticket is the fact that the BJP did not announce its candidate for Dindori and Jalgaon seats in North Maharashtra on Thursday. The candidates for the other six seats were declared in the first list announced by the party.

Sources also said that Pawar had insisted that she would join the BJP only if the party gives her the ticket for Dindori. Interestingly, the three-time MP Chavan had defeated Pawar who had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls on the NCP ticket from the same constituency. Chavan had won the seat by a record margin of 2.47 lakh.

Chavan loyalists said that the sitting MP did not share the best of relationship with Mahajan who played a vital role in deciding the party candidates of the region.

“Besides, there was a strong anti-incumbency factor against Chavan and there was a need to give ticket to a fresh face. Even one section of the party workers felt that Chavan’s work in the constituency was not to a desired level. Not a single major project or work can be credited to his name,” BJP sources said. The Pawar family is politically quite influential in parts of Dindori parliamentary constituency. Her farther-in-law AT Pawar was a well-known politician who was an MLA from Kalwan for six times.

Meanwhile, Chavan said that he is still awaiting an official announcement of the BJP candidate from Dindori. “But if I am not given the ticket some of the senior leaders of the region must be blamed. There is no reason to deny me the ticket,” he added. His supporters are planning to organise a meeting in the first week of April to decide the next course of action in case Pawar is selected as the party nominee.