Maha polls: BJP-Sena tally rises in 'aspirational districts'

The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance has slightly improved its performance in the four districts of Maharashtra that were selected under the Modi government's 'aspirational districts' programme.

The four districts selected under the Centre's programme for expeditious socio-economic development are Gadchiroli, Osmanabad, Washim and Nandurbar. They collectively comprise 14 assembly segments of the total 288 in the state.

While the BJP-Sena combine had won eight of these seats in the 2014 assembly elections, this time it bagged 10 of them.

Osmanabad district consists of four assembly seats, of which two were with the NCP, while Congress and Shiv Sena had won one each in 2014.

In this election, the Shiv Sena won three seats - Paranda, Umarga and Osmanabad.

In the Tuljapur constituency of Osmanabad district, Ranajagjitsinh Patil, who had won in 2014 on NCP ticket, managed to retain the seat, but this time as the BJP candidate.

With this, the saffron allies have bagged all the four seats in the district even as the Congress and the NCP drew a blank.

In the Naxal-hit Gadchiroli district, the BJP had won all the three seats - Aheri, Gadchiroli and Armori - in 2014.

But this time, the NCP managed to wrest Aheri from the BJP. NCP's Dharmaraobaba Atram, a former minister, won the seat by defeating saffron party candidate Ambarish Raje Atram.

But the other two assembly segments - Gadchiroli and Armori - were retained by the BJP.

As compared to these two districts, there was no change in the seats won by respective parties in 2014 and 2019.

Of the three assembly segments in Washim district, the BJP had won two in the last election and it managed to retain them this time.

Similarly, the Congress also retained its lone seat in the district.

Nandurbar district in North Maharashtra comprises four assembly seats, of which the BJP and the Congress had won two constituencies each in 2014. The situation remained the same this time as well.

Voting in Maharashtra was held on October 21 and counting took place on October 24.

Transformation of Aspirational Districts programme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2018. It is aimed at quickly and effectively transforming some of the most underdeveloped districts of the country.

As many as 117 districts spread across 28 states have been selected under the programme that aims to expeditiously improve their socio-economic status.