Congress veteran Balasaheb Thorat loses Maharashtra's Sangamner seat

Congress MLA Balasaheb Thorat lost Maharashtra's Sangamner seat with a vote margin of 10560 to first-time candidate Amol Dhondiba Khatal from the Shiv Sena.

Updated on: Nov 23, 2024, 16:33:50 IST

By HT News Desk | Written by Ria Amol Wadikar

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Eight-time Congress MLA Balasaheb Thorat has lost Maharashtra's Sangamner seat with a vote margin of 10560 to first-time candidate Amol Dhondiba Khatal from the Shiv Sena.

Balasaheb Thorat

Thorat, who has been the undefeated winner of the assembly seat of Sangamner since 1985, started as an independent candidate, before becoming a member of the Indian National Congress. His involvement with cooperative educational institutions in Sangamner as well as his proven track record as a former Minister of Agriculture and Revenue has cemented his position within his constituency.

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The veteran politician was also quoted saying that “The public is supporting Maha Vikas Aghadi and we will cross the mark of 180 seats.” As one of the senior leaders in the MVA, Thorat has also hinted at chief ministerial ambitions, in the event their alliance wins. The Sangamner district saw a massive showdown between Thorat and the BJP when comments were made against his daughter Jayashree Thorat by BJP leader Vasantrao Deshmukh during an event for another party leader Sujay Vikhe Patil.

While the BJP officially apologised for comments made by Deshmukh, major protests were held by Jayashree Thorat, her supporters and others in Sangamner.

Amol Dhondiba Khatal

Going up against the political stalwart is first-time candidate Amol Dhondiba Khatal from the Shiv Sena. The youth activist who is also involved in an agricultural business company, was mentored by BJP leader Sujay Vikhe Patil, who allegedly stepped away from contesting in Sangamner due to his affiliation with Vasantrao Deshmukh and comments made against Thorat’s daughter which had invited flak from across the political spectrum. Khatal has big shoes to fill and support from local leaders such as Patil and Deshmukh will be key in posing a challenge to Thorat.

Development and agriculture are two of the major issues for the Sangamner constituency, where a lack of industry and employment has plagued people as farming practices also suffer due to water supply inadequacies. Sangamner does not have a Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) which is responsible for handling industrial growth and development for regions in the state.

Voting for the Maharashtra Assembly elections was held on November 20 in a single phase and counting for all 288 constituencies will take place on November 23, revealing the result of the long standing battle between two key alliances - the ruling Mahayuti (BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP) and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (Congress, Shiv Sena UBT and NCP-SP).

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