E-Paper
On back of infra push, Nitin Gadkari looks for 2nd term from Nagpur
Gadkari’s advantage lies in the raft of development projects that he is instrumental for bringing to the city, including the Metro Rail besides opening educational institutes such as the AIIMS, IIM and National Law University.
Union minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari wore a relaxed demeanour at the end of the polling on Thursday. He faces Congress candidate Nana Patole, who belongs to the Kunbi (a Maratha sub-caste in western Maharashtra) community. Nagpur is a prestigious seat for the BJP, as it houses the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the party’s ideological parent. It is also considered the nerve centre of the Ambedkarite movement. A cosmopolitan city, the electorate is a mix of Dalit, Muslim, Kunbi and Brahmin communities.
Gadkari’s advantage lies in the raft of development projects that he is instrumental for bringing to the city, including the Metro Rail besides opening educational institutes such as the AIIMS, IIM and National Law University.
For Patole, a former BJP minister who joined the Congress last year, hope lies in convincing voters of misrule of the Modi government, the alleged Rafale deal irregularities and the unfulfilled welfare measures. In 2014, Gadkari won by a margin of 284,848 votes over Vilash Muttemwar of the Congress party.
