Nagpur: BJP’s bid to reclaim Nagpur division graduates’ constituency faces a big hurdle in the form of its former MLC Anil Sole, who is contesting as an independent. The BJP rebel questioned the party’s candidate selection process. BJP’s official nominee, Sudhakar Kohale, meanwhile, banks on the organisation’s voter registration drive and booth-level network.Speaking at the inauguration of his election office, Sole alleged that party workers and senior functionaries were not consulted before selecting Kohale. He said several BJP leaders with years of organisational experience could have been considered for the candidature.Questioning the manner of candidate selection, Sole told TOI, “Earlier, even for the smaller posts in the party, elections used to happen in a democratic way. Now, the candidates’ names come directly from the top.” He added that many old BJP functionaries were supporting him.Kohale, meanwhile, said his candidature had the backing of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP state president Ravindra Chavan. He said preparations had begun on Sept 25 last year, with Fadnavis emphasising booth-level work.“I don’t know the process behind selecting my name, but I am working hard on new voter registrations and reclaiming the seat, ever since I was made in-charge for these polls,” Kohale told the media. He said he had been working on the exercise for 372 days and was in touch with a majority of voters.BJP city president Dayashankar Tiwari dismissed concerns that Sole’s rebellion would hurt the party’s prospects, citing the scale of its voter-registration campaign.“Out of over 2.5 lakh voters, 1.90 lakh registrations have been done by BJP workers. We are confident of Kohale’s victory,” Tiwari said.Tiwari described Sole as a senior leader who had guided him when he entered politics in 1998-99. He said Fadnavis and Union minister Nitin Gadkari had given Sole time to discuss his grievances, but Sole decided to contest as an independent.“There is no communication gap in the BJP,” Tiwari said, recalling that Sole was mayor when he served as chairman of the standing committee.The contest has widened beyond BJP’s internal dispute, with Congress candidate and incumbent MLC Abhijit Wanjarri, along with nominees from other parties and a large field of independents, also in the race. Sole’s entry could split BJP support, though the impact on the final result remains uncertain.A total of 38 candidates remain in the fray. Besides Sole, Kohale and Wanjarri, the party nominees include Atul Deshmukh of Samajwadi Ganrajya Party, Mangesh Wankhede of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, Shridhar Salve of Bhim Sena and Siddharth Nikose of Baliraja Party. Other independent candidates include Arvind Lillore, Ashok Lanjewar, Anand Meshram, Sachin Kalbande, Nitesh Karale, Pradeep Somkuwar and Manoj Mendhe.Polling will take place on Oct 23 from 8 am to 4 pm, with counting scheduled for Oct 27. The election process is to be completed before Oct 31.Total no of voters in Nagpur constituency in 2026:District…………………..Male………….Female.……….Others…………TotalNagpur………………….76873…………67726………….25………..…144624.Wardha……………….13163…………8578……………01…………….21742Bhandara…………….13364………….8013…………..00…………….21377Gondia…………………13978…………8209……………10……………..22187Chandrapur………….20960…………11302………….05………………..32262Gadchiroli…….……….9276……………4355…………..01……………….13631.Total……………………147614…………108183………..26……………….255823.
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