In Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, temperatures often soar above 47 degrees Celsius during April and May. Although recent days have been cloudy, the area’s political climate in the coal belt is becoming increasingly heated as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress are locked in a fierce battle in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls on April 19.
The area in Vidarbha region has traditionally seen a head-to-head electoral fight between the two national parties. In the 2019 election, the grand old party managed to clinch the seat from the BJP, which had held it since 2004 with Suresh ‘Balu’ Dhanorkar emerging victorious over three-time MP Hansraj Gangaram Ahir.
Given this backdrop, the upcoming election is highly significant for both parties as it was the lone seat that the Congress captured in the western State in the last election, a defeat that resonated deeply with the BJP. In view of this, the saffron party has nominated six-time MLA and State Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, a member of a micro-minority Vaishya community, for the Lok Sabha seat.
