By Tejas
Pune, October 30, 2024: In a dramatic turn of events, the Khed-Alandi assembly seat, previously anticipated to be a straightforward contest, has now become a battleground for three key contenders. The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction has nominated Babaji Kale to contest from this constituency, leading to unexpected ripples in the political landscape. Following Kale’s nomination, Atul Deshmukh, a significant leader from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (Sharad Pawar faction), has defied party expectations by filing as an independent candidate—a move that analysts say could disrupt the Mahavikas Aghadi’s strategy for this constituency.
In the Mahayuti coalition, the Khed-Alandi seat was allotted to the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), which has chosen to back sitting MLA Dilip Dattatray Mohite. Mohite’s candidacy sets up a fierce showdown as he faces Babaji Kale from Shiv Sena (UBT). Adding to the tension, Deshmukh’s independent run creates a three-way contest, likely to split the votes and intensify competition among the contenders.
Back in 2019, Mohite, running on an NCP ticket, defeated his opponent, Suresh Namdeo Gore, by a sizable margin of 33,242 votes, securing 96,866 votes with 43.88% of the vote share. Gore secured 63,624 votes with a 28.82% share, while Deshmukh, running independently, captured a significant 24.41% with 53,874 votes. Deshmukh’s prior vote share suggests he could be a formidable contender this election cycle as he once again challenges Mohite.
The sitting MLA of Khed-Alandi, Dilip Mohite, was a two-time MLA from this region. In 2009 and 2019, he was elected as an MLA on the NCP’s ticket. But, in 2014, Shiv Sena’s Suresh Gore won the seat. However, immediately in the next election, Mohite seized the constituency from Gore, once again setting his dominance in the region. Therefore, it is said that Mohite is a strong contender and has a higher chance of winning in this constituency if votes get split in the opposition. Therefore, Mahavikas Aghadi will try to keep this fight one-to-one, asking Deshmukh to withdraw his bid.
Originally, the NCP (SP) was expected to represent this seat for the Mahavikas Aghadi alliance, given that it was previously an NCP stronghold. However, in a last-minute shift, Shiv Sena (UBT) placed Babaji Kale as its candidate, shaking up coalition expectations. Kale officially filed his nomination yesterday, and it will be interesting to see if Deshmukh will withdraw his candidacy before the November 4 deadline to consolidate opposition against Mohite.
