The political landscape of Prabhag 10 in west Nagpur, encompassing Police Line Takli and Police Quarters, has undergone a dramatic transformation, setting the stage for one of the most keenly watched contests in the upcoming civic elections. Once a Congress bastion that saw the party sweep all four seats in the 2017 municipal polls, the prabhag is now a fiercely competitive battleground. The shift in dynamics over the past five years, driven by a series of defections, leaders returning to parent parties, and evolving alliances, has made the outcome highly unpredictable.
A Diverse Electorate Holds the Key
The final result in Prabhag 10 is expected to hinge on its complex and mixed voter profile. The electorate is a mosaic of communities including Kunbi, Hindi-speaking populations, Muslims, scheduled castes, and tribal groups. A significant number of police personnel and their families, residing in the quarters, also form a crucial voting bloc. This diversity means that caste equations, local issues, and candidate appeal will collectively play a decisive role in shaping the political direction of the prabhag.
Contenders and Political Churn
The Congress, which saw its candidates Gargi Prashant Chopda, Nitin Gwalbanshi, Sakshi Raut, and Rashmi Dhurve emerge victorious in 2017, faces new challenges. The party must field a new candidate following the demise of Nitin Gwalbanshi, who had won a tightly fought battle against BJP's Ramesh Chopde by a mere 68 votes. In a significant boost, former corporator Prashant Chopde, who had switched to the BJP after the last elections, has returned to the Congress fold.
However, the Congress list of aspirants is long and includes block president Pramod Thakur, former corporators Sakshi Raut and Rashmi Dhurve, along with Saraswati Salame, Sunil Awale, Pankaj Shukla, Tausif Khan, Abhay Raut, Maksud Bhai, Pathan Bhai, and Deepak Tabhane. Former Congress corporator Arun Davre, who contested independently from the adjacent Prabhag 11 last time and secured an impressive over 6,500 votes, is back in the race and is seen as a potential influencer.
BJP's Determined Onslaught and New Entrants
The Bharatiya Janata Party is leaving no stone unturned to break the Congress hold. Vaishali Ramesh Chopde, state vice-president of the BJP Mahila Morcha and wife of former corporator Ramesh Chopde, is a likely candidate. Another prominent figure is Sheela Mohod, who won on a Congress ticket in 2012 but joined the BJP after being denied a ticket in 2017.
Adding a poignant twist to the narrative, Girish Gwalbanshi, the brother of the late Congress corporator Nitin Gwalbanshi, has recently joined the BJP. Other BJP hopefuls include Jayhari Thakur, BJP Yuva Morcha leader Kamlesh Pandey, Bunty Dixit, Bajrang Singh alias Munna Thakur, Sagar Ghatole, Deepak Ingale, Bablu Baxaria, Arvind Gedam, and Dilip Masram.
Local Issues Take Center Stage
Beyond political maneuvering, pressing civic concerns are expected to heavily influence voter sentiment. Apart from a few well-developed pockets, large parts of Prabhag 10 comprise middle- and lower-income settlements, slums, and areas with very small houses. Residents grapple with persistent problems like poor road conditions, inadequate drainage, non-functional streetlights, lack of cleanliness, and irregular garbage collection. These unresolved local development issues are set to be a central theme in the campaign, as parties vie for support in what promises to be a closely fought contest.
The NCP, which had fielded Ramesh Ghatole, Anupama Telang, Durgesh Kaurti, and Shailesh Pandey in 2017, still has a presence, evidenced by Ghatole's 4,021 votes last time, though Pandey has since joined the Congress. As the election nears, all eyes are on this Nagpur prabhag, where a combination of demographic diversity, political volatility, and grassroots issues will write the final chapter.
