Race heats up in Aurangabad East

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

The Aurangabad East constituency boasts 29 candidates, but all eyes are on the contest between BJP's Atul Sawae and AIMIM's Imtiaz Jaleel.

The Aurangabad East constituency features a diverse lineup of 29 candidates, including sixteen Muslims, yet the spotlight is firmly on the BJP's Atul Save and AIMIM's Imtiaz Jaleel as the primary contenders. Additional candidates include Congress's Lahuji Shewale, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi's Afsar Khan, the Samajwadi Party's Dr. Gaffar Kadri and the BSP's Sheetal Bansode. Save, also Housing Minister and Mahayuti candidate, seeks a third consecutive win after victories in 2014 and 2019, hoping to achieve a hat-trick in this election.

There are 16 Muslim candidates in the constituency, so the Mahayuti is depending on how much the votes will be divided, while the Mahavikas Aghadi needs support from Muslim, Dalit, and Hindu voters. AIMIM will face the challenge of maintaining its voter base until the last moment, as the presence of 16 Muslim candidates increases the likelihood of vote splitting. On the last day for withdrawing nomination papers Monday, only 10 Muslim candidates withdrew their nominations. This indicates that AIMIM will need to work hard in the constituency. The current scenario shows a coalition, alliance, and AIMIM competing.

A situation like 2014...

The dynamics in this constituency mirror those of 2014, presenting a direct contest among Congress, AIMIM, and BJP. The number of candidates remains high, similar to the 2019 elections. Aurangabad East boasts 352,313 voters, including 182,527 male and 169,772 female voters. In the next 14 days, all candidates must actively engage with these voters.