Praniti Shinde, daughter of former chief minister of Maharashtra and union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, is the sitting MLA of Solapur constituency, however, her battle to retain the seat will be tough.
Solapur is dominated by Muslims and Dalits, and Shinde is likely to face resistance from the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA).
Shinde has the support from a section of the Dhangar and Maratha communities, but she faces a serious challenge with Dalit and Muslim voters.
Considering the traditional vote bank of the Congress, VBA and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) are likely to secure a large number of votes from the minority community and this could affect Shinde, said local political observers.
AIMIM has played it safe by not fielding Taufik Shaikh who is allegedly involved in a murder case. Considering the seizable amount of Muslim voters, the All India Muslim League has decided to contest the election from this constituency by announcing the candidature of Tipu Sultan’s descendant, Mansoor Ali Shah.
Considering all these challenges, Shinde has initiated her campaign and has also started meeting the voters. “I am doing my work by meeting people. It is up to party if they wish to give me another opportunity,” said Shinde.
{{/usCountry}}Considering all these challenges, Shinde has initiated her campaign and has also started meeting the voters. “I am doing my work by meeting people. It is up to party if they wish to give me another opportunity,” said Shinde.
{{/usCountry}}During the 2014 assembly elections, Shinde won, defeating AIMIM’s Taufiq Shaikh, by a narrow margin of 9,000 votes.