Election campaign ends in five Lok Sabha constituencies in eastern Maharashtra

Nagpur, Apr 17 (PTI) Campaigning for Lok Sabha elections came to an end in five constituencies of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra on Wednesday evening.
    Polling will be held in the constituencies of Nagpur, Ramtek, Bhandara-Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli in the first phase on April 19.
    In Nagpur, a direct fight is on cards between Union minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari and Congress' Vikas Thakre.
    In 2019, Gadkari had defeated Congress' Nana Patole by 2,16,000 votes. The constituency, which also houses the headquarters of the RSS, has a total of 22,18,259 voters including 11,10, 840 male voters, 11,07,197 female and 222 transgender ones.
    In Chandrapur, BJP candidate and Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar is facing Congress nominee Pratibha Dhanorkar, wife of late Suresh Dhanorkar who was the lone Congress MP elected to the Lok Sabha from Maharashtra in 2019 from the seat. The Congress MP died last year.

    Chandrapur has a total of 18,36,314 voters (9,45,026 male and 8,91,240 female).
    In Bhandara-Gondia, the BJP has fielded sitting MP Sunil Mendhe, who is pitted against Congress candidate Dr Prashant Patole.
    In 2019, Mendhe had defeated the then undivided NCP's Nana Panchbudhe by over 1,97, 394 votes.
    Bhandara-Gondia has a total of 18,75,106 voters (9,36,041 male, 9,39,056 female and 12 transgender).
    Two-time MP of BJP, Ashok Nete, is contesting against Congress nominee Dr Namdev Kirsan in Gadchiroli-Chimur. In the 2019 elections, Nete had defeated Congress candidate Dr Namdev Usendi.
    The constituency has 16,12,930 voters (8,11,836 male, 8,01,082 female and 12 transgender).
    In Ramtek, the fight is between Shyamkumar Barwe of Congress and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's candidate Raju Parwe. In 2019, the undivided Shiv Sena candidate Krupal Tumane had defeated Congress' Kishore Uttamrao Gajbhiye here.
    Ramtek constituency has a total of 20,45,717 voters (10,43,266 male, 10,02,396 female and 55 transgender).

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)