Maharashtra election results: Shiv Sena registers maiden win on Kolhapur seat

KOLHAPUR: Shiv Sena candidate Sanjay Mandlik won the Kolhapur Lok Sabha seat on Thursday by a margin of over 2.5 lakh. With this victory, Sena has recorded its maiden win on this seat.


During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections , Mandlik had lost against NCP’s sitting MP Dhananjay Mahadik by around 33,000 votes.

However, on Thursday, since the counting began, Mandlik kept on increasing his tally in each round.

Stitching an alliance with local NCP leaders disgruntled with the party’s functioning, Mandalik managed to register his landslide win.

Celebrations started at his residence in Ruikar Colony after Mandlik’s lead went pass the 1 lakh margin at 11.30 am. Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders paid visit to Mandlik and congratulated him over his win. Meanwhile, Mahadik’s office bore a deserted look the whole day.

In none of the six assembly segments Mahadik could get the lead. However, in Kagal constituency, his home turf, Mandlik got a lead of over 71,000.

Rivalry with Congress MLC Satej Patil proved costly for Mahadik as the former put his weight behind Mandlik without thinking about any disciplinary action by his party leadership.

From Kolhapur south constituency Mandlik got over 43,000 votes more than Mahadik while from Kolhapur North assembly segment he received a lead of over 27,000 votes. Both these segments have significant followers of Patil and they had even put up banners across the city claiming the credit for Mandalik’s victory.

Patil supporters had started ‘Amcha Tharlay’ (We have decided) campaign in support of Mandlik. In both Kagal and Chandgad assembly segments, represented by NCP MLAs, Mandlik got a lead of 71,000 and 50,000 respectively. This will now be a cause of concern for the NCP leadership.

While speaking to TOI after winning the seat Mandlik attributed his success to Patil along with his supporters and local Sena and BJP leaders. He also said that he will remember the help extended by Patil and will reciprocate in the upcoming assembly elections.

“Leaders from all parties made my win easier. Though I will be bound by my party’s decision, I will not hesitate to extend political help to all those who contributed to my win,” Mandlik said.

Meanwhile, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi’s (VBA) candidate Aruna Mali received over 62,000 votes — considered as another major factor in Mahadik’s defeat. Mali received huge votes from the assembly segments where Mahadik has stronghold. Even VBA leader Prakash Ambedkar had campaigned for Mali.

“Many factors contributed to my win, ranging from forging of political alliances, slow economic development, deteriorating law and order situation in the city and neglected agricultural issues,” said Kolhapur’s new MP.

“I lost last Lok Sabha elections because I didn’t have ample number of days for campaigning. However, this time, I got about a year for campaigning,” he added.

Speaking about forging the political alliances with different parties especially from Patil, Mandlik said, “The tag line of ‘Apla Tharlay’ (We have decided) proved useful. The people of Kolhapur have a separate agenda for elections and it surpassed the boundaries created by the political parties.”

He added that law and order situation of the city has deteriorated in last couple of years and the educated people didn’t like it. “Politics of such activities have an expiry date and it was May 23,” Mandalik said.

“The central government executed many schemes for the benefit of people but due to Mahadik’s disregard for them, none of the schemes percolated to the people. Despite this, airport and Konkan-Kolhapur railway line have been implemented,” he added.