Nagpur (Maharashtra): Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat casted his vote as soon as the voting began on Friday here in the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls 2024.
The Sangh chief showed his inked finger after casting his vote. He urged all the citizens to come out in large numbers and vote in their constituencies. "Voting is our duty, our right. There should be 100% polling. I have cast my vote," Bhagwat said.
Altogether 97 candidates, including Union minister Nitin Gadkari, are in the fray in Nagpur, Ramtek (SC), Bhandara-Gondia, Chandrapur and Naxal-hit Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST) constituency, all located in eastern-most parts of Maharashtra.
In Nagpur, there is a direct fight between senior BJP leader Gadkari, who is seeking a third term, and Congress candidate Vikas Thakre. The high-profile constituency, which houses the RSS headquarters, has a total of 22,18,259 voters -- 11,10, 840 male, 11,07,197 female and 222 transgender persons.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Nitin Gadkari registered victory with a massive vote share of 55.7 per cent. He defeated the current Maharashtra Congress President, Nana Patole, with a victory margin of 2,16,009 votes. Gadkari also defeated Congress leader Vilas Muttemwar by a margin of 2,84,828 votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Polling for the first phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 on 102 seats spread across 21 states is underway. In Maharashtra, polling is underway in four other seats in the state.
