Congress denies ticket to 2 MLAs in Maharashtra; brings in veterans

The state assembly polls will be held on October 15

Two sitting Congress MLAs from Nagpur-South and Gadchiroli have not been given tickets by the party, which has brought in veterans in Vidarbha region for the October 15 Maharashtra Assembly polls.

Two-term MLA Dinanath Padole from Nagpur-South and Dr Namdeo Usendi from Gadchiroli, who won for the first time in 2009 and unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year from Gadchiroli seat, have been replaced.

As per the party list released late last night by All India Congress Committee (AICC), party veterans Satish Chaturvedi and Anees Ahmad, both former state Cabinet ministers who had lost 2009 Assembly polls, have been given another chance.

Chaturvedi, a five-term MLA from Nagpur-East and former state textile minister, has been shifted to Nagpur-South, while Ahmad, the former dairy development minister who left Nagpur-Central in 2009 to Nagpur-West and subsequently lost, has returned to Nagpur-Central, a Muslim dominated seat.

At Gadchiroli, the party has brought in Sauguna Pentaram Talandi to replace sitting MLA Usendi.

Congress has decided to field three young candidates, including two new faces - Abhijit Wanjari and Praful Guddhe Patil - from Nagpur-East and Nagpur-South West respectively, while former Mayor Vikas Thakre, who lost in 2009 from Nagpur-South West, has been shifted to Nagpur-West.

Abhijit's father Govindrao Wanjari was elected twice from Nagpur-South. However, he had died of heart attack in Mumbai before he was sworn-in as MLA for the second time in 2004.

Nagpur-South West candidate Praful is the son of former Minister of State Vinod Guddhe Patil, who was was the city BJP president and had unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha elections (on BJP ticket) in 1999 against Vilas Muttemwar. Vinod had later joined Congress.