Congress retains Nanded: Ravindra Chavan wins close bypoll battle against BJP

Congress candidate Ravindra Chavan emerged victorious in the Nanded Lok Sabha bypoll on Saturday, defeating BJP's Santukrao Hambarde by a narrow margin of 1,457 votes. Chavan secured 5,86,788 votes, while Hambarde received 5,85,331 votes.  

The bypoll was held following the death of sitting Congress MP Vasant Chavan on August 26. Ravindra Chavan, Vasant Chavan’s son, contested and won the seat.  

Nanded has seen shifting political dynamics over recent elections. In 2019, BJP candidate Pratap Patil Chikhalikar defeated Congress leader Ashok Chavan to claim the seat. However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Vasant Chavan reclaimed Nanded for the Congress, defeating Chikhalikar by over 59,000 votes.

Adding to the political reshuffle, Ashok Chavan joined the BJP earlier this year, while Chikhalikar switched to the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Chikhalikar is currently contesting the Loha assembly seat in Nanded, which he has previously represented twice as an MLA.