Nagpur Lok Sabha 2024 results LIVE: BJP's Nitin Gadkari takes early leads

Nagpur is a significant battleground in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with Union Minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari vying for re-election. According to Axis My India exit polls, Gadkari has an advantage in this crucial Maharashtra seat.

As the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Gadkari is set to face off against Congress candidate Vikas Thakre, a sitting MLA in the Maharashtra Assembly. Gadkari has a strong track record, having won the Nagpur seat in both the 2014 and 2019 elections. In 2014, he defeated seven-time MP Vilas Muttemwar by a margin of 2.84 lakh votes, and in 2019, he triumphed over the current Congress Maharashtra unit chief, Nana Patole.

The polls to elect MPs to the 18th Lok Sabha took place in Nagpur on April 19, during the first phase of the parliamentary elections. Throughout his campaign, the BJP highlighted Nagpur's development under Gadkari's leadership, alongside Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and local MLA Devendra Fadnavis.

Gadkari also benefits from the robust support of the RSS, a crucial factor in his electoral prospects in this Maharashtra seat.

Historically, Nagpur has been a Congress stronghold since the first election in 1951. The constituency predominantly favored Congress until 2009, with exceptions only when Forward Bloc and the BJP won the seat.

In the broader context of Maharashtra, Axis My India exit poll predictions suggest that the BJP-led NDA is poised to win 28-32 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats. The INDIA bloc, comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar), is projected to secure 16-20 seats in the state.