Maharashtra polls: Congress’s Prithviraj Chavan eyes third term in South Karad
With the battle lines drawn, leaders from both the Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have stepped up their campaigning. One closely watched contest is in South Karad, Satara district, where former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, 78, is vying for a third consecutive term in the state assembly.
The South Karad constituency has long been a battleground between traditional rivals Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Chavan, the Congress candidate and a prominent MVA leader, faces a strong challenge from 41-year-old Dr Atul Bhosale of the BJP, an MBBS doctor, who previously contested against Chavan.
Chavan, confident of his past performance, said, “I am sure my people will support me again. They have always embraced Congress’s ideology. Our work speaks for itself, and we have continuously raised key issues in the state assembly. I am confident of a third consecutive win.”
The constituency has a strong Congress legacy, with veteran leaders Yashwantrao Mohite and Vilasrao Patil Undalkar previously holding the seat.
Chavan won his first term in 2014 with 76,831 votes, followed by 92,296 votes in 2019, while Bhosale’s vote count rose from 58,621 in 2014 to 83,166 in 2019. The close margins have raised anticipation for this year’s results.
On November 4, the last day for withdrawal of nominations, as many as 12 candidates stepped back, leaving eight in the race, including two independents. The primary contenders are Chavan and Dr Bhosale, with Vidyadhar Gaikwad (Bahujan Samaj Party), Indrajit Gujar (Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathan), Mahesh Jirange (Rashtriya Samaj Party), Sanjay Gade (Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi), and independents Vishwajit Patil-Undalkar and Shama Rahim Sheikh also contesting.
The campaign has been intense, with both parties, MVA and Mahayuti, trading allegations over development projects and funding before the election was officially announced. As campaigning heats up, both sides are using development achievements and accusations of unmet promises to rally voters.
The influence of the Maratha community has also been a factor, with three Maratha candidates initially filing nominations with support from activist Manoj Jarange-Patil. However, they later withdrew following Jarange-Patil’s directive, minimising the impact of insurgent candidates.
In previous elections, Congress faced internal rebellion, with Vilasrao Patil-Undalkar and Uday Singh Patil-Undalkar challenging the party’s dominance. This time, there seems to be no such divide, streamlining the contest into a clearer face-off between Congress and BJP.
“We have undertaken significant development projects in the last decade under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Devendra Fadnavis’s leadership. Over ₹1,000 crore in projects have been brought here, benefiting the public. This time, change is coming, and we are confident of victory,” said Dr Bhosale.
As polling day approaches, all eyes are on South Karad to see whether Chavan’s experience or Bhosale’s developmental promises will sway voters.
