Sreejaya Chavan, daughter of former Maharashtra Chief Minister, Ashok Chavan, secured a resounding victory in her maiden assembly election, winning the Bhokar seat in the Nanded district. She defeated her Congress rival Tirupati Kadam Kondhekar by a margin of 50,551 votes.
According to a report by the news agency PTI, her win reinforced the Chavan family's longstanding influence in the Bhokar constituency, which has previously been represented by her grandfather Shankarrao Chavan, and her parents, Ashok Chavan and Ameeta Chavan.
Ashok Chavan, who joined the BJP earlier this year and was subsequently nominated to the Rajya Sabha, had formerly represented the Congress. In the election, Sreejaya garnered 1,33,187 votes, while her Congress opponent secured 82,636 votes.
Sreejaya Chavan: A Third-Generation Leader
As per the Hindustan Times report, previously, Sreejaya Chavan was part of Congress but shifted her political loyalty to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following her father joining the BJP. As of the first list for the November 20 state assembly polls, she was among the 99 candidates named by the party.
Sreejaya Chavan, a law graduate, made her electoral debut from the family stronghold of Bhokar in the Nanded district, located in the Marathwada region. As a third-generation leader and political heir of the Chavan family, she continues a legacy that has seen the constituency represented by the family in the state assembly six times.
According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the BJP has secured 126 seats and is leading in six more, while the Shiv Sena has won 55 seats and is ahead in two. The NCP has claimed 40 seats and is leading in one. Within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, Shiv Sena (UBT) has won 20 seats, Congress has taken 13 and is leading in three, while the NCP-SP alliance has won 10 seats.
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