Uddhav faction's MP faces Mahayuti in a replay of Nimbalkar-Patil rivalry

CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: A bitter family feud running into the second generation was played out in the battleground of Osmanabad last Lok Sabha election when Shiv Sena's Omprakash Rajenimbalkar trounced his cousin Ranajagjitsinh Patil of NCP by more than 1.2 lakh votes.

In a dramatic turn of events five years later, Omprakash, who has sided with Shiv Sena (UBT), is pitted against Ranajagjitsinh's wife Archana, who is contesting on an NCP ticket.

Her husband is with BJP.

The politics in Osmanabad largely revolves around the Nimbalkar and Patil families.

As many from the area can recall, former NCP MP and seven-term MLA Padamsinh Patil, Ranajagjitsinh's father, was accused in the murder of his cousin and Congress leader Pawanraj Nimbalkar in 2006.

The matter is sub judice. Pawanraj was Omprakash Rajenimbalkar's father.

At the age of 26, Omprakash made his presence felt when he defeated Ranajagjitsinh in the 2009 assembly poll from Osmanabad as a Shiv Sena candidate. Ranajagjitsinh, who was then with NCP, turned the tables in the next assembly election and avenged his loss.

The duo again locked horns in the 2019 parliamentary elections with Omprakash taking a 2-1 lead against his rival.

After the split in Shiv Sena, Omprakash stood firm behind Uddhav Thackeray and was renominated for the Osmanabad Lok Sabha seat.

For Mahayuti - an alliance of BJP, chief minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP - Osmanabad had initially proved one of the contentious issues with no consensus on the candidate.

As the seat was left to NCP as per the seat-sharing agreement, it was finally decided that Archana Patil would contest after joining NCP.

The district guardian minister and Paranda MLA of Shiv Sena, Tanaji Sawant, was among those who were against Archana's candidature. Hopeful of his nephew getting the ticket, Sawant expressed his disappointment before Shinde. The CM somehow pacified him and persuaded him to campaign for the unanimous candidate.

Expressing confidence of his victory, Omprakash said as his hard work in the last five years would speak volumes. "I will win even if Prime Minister Narendra Modi fights against me. My only request to my voters is to ensure that my winning margin increases this time."

For Archana, "this is a battle between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi". "People of this country are with Modi and want him to become the Prime Minister for one more time."

While Omprakash, hailed as an "accessible MP", is riding on his popularity, especially among youths, Archana will try to cash in on the support of BJP and two other partners. Osmanabad goes to the polls on May 7.