NCP (SP) candidate Pratapsinh Patil (centre) with supporters at the counting centre on Wednesday
With counting of ballot papers still underway late on Wednesday, Patil had secured 73,931 first-preference votes, ahead of Chavan’s 60,768. The victory quota was fixed at 88,558 votes, forcing the contest into the second-preference count as no candidate crossed the required mark. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : NCP (SP) candidate Pratapsinh Patil moved closer to victory in the Aurangabad Graduate constituency election on Wednesday, opening a sizeable lead over NCP’s three-term MLC Satish Chavan as counting continued on the second day.
This victory belongs to that youth whose eyes hold dreams, to those students who seek quality education and employment opportunities, as well as to all teachers, educated citizens, and every individual who harbors the expectation of change,” Patil said. “This victory is not mine alone. This victory belongs to every graduate who showed faith in me to ask the questions of our future, to fight for our rights, and to usher in a new era of education, employment, and development. Political observers attributed Chavan’s likely defeat to strong anti-incumbency and an aggressive campaign by NCP (SP). Several graduate voters had expressed dissatisfaction over Chavan’s alleged lack of accessibility and silence on key issues. Patil, meanwhile, ran a tightly coordinated campaign with support from his brother, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Rahul Patil, and senior NCP (SP) netas including Supriya Sule , Rohit Pawar, Rajesh Tope and Shashikant Shinde. His campaign focused on issues such as unemployment among graduates, contractual teachers and health insurance, while avoiding personal attacks on rivals.