BJP MP Ashok Nete files papers, confident of making it 3-in-row

Nagpur: BJP candidate and two-time MP Ashok Nete submitted his nomination for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the Chimur-Gadchiroli constituency on Tuesday. Nete, a veteran in electoral politics, is aiming for a third consecutive victory. His main rival will be Congress’s relatively new face, Namdev Kirsan.Flanked by top leaders like deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, state forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, and NCP’s Ajit Pawar group leader Dharmarao Baba Atram, Nete led a procession from his office on Chamorshi Road to the collector’s office to complete his nomination process.

“Prime minister Narendra Modi had done several development works in the last 10 years including solving the long-drawn issues like Ram Temple, scrapping of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and so on. In Gadchiroli, I too have brought railway connectivity including a proposed line connecting our district to Chhattisgarh,” said Nete, adding he is anticipating a victory margin of more than one or one-and-a-half lakh votes.Despite concerns about an anti-incumbency sentiment, Nete is recognized for his resilience and ability to make a political comeback. He has served as MLA for the BJP from 1999 to 2009. But he suffered a dual defeat in 2009 to Congress’s Dr Namdeo Usendi in assembly elections and Marotrao Kowase in LS polls. However, Nete had regained his seat during the 2014 ‘Modi wave’, winning by a substantial margin of over 2.36 lakh votes and secured his position again in 2019 with a margin of 77,526 votes.“I had played the role of a catalyst in bringing projects like Surjagarh, which is paving the way for employment. Also, I am playing a key role in bringing up the steel plant at Konsari worth more than ₹20,000 crore. I got sanction for five barrages on the Wainganga river, each costing around ₹1,000-1,500 crore. Also, I got the runaway sanctioned for the airport project and several kilometres of roads and bridges,” said Nete.The political landscape seems favourable for Nete, especially since his former opponent Dr Usendi has now joined the BJP, leaving Kirsan at a disadvantage. Despite past allegations involving a co-operative bank scam, Nete has managed to keep his name in the clear, maintaining his reputation within his party. “Two key Congress leaders, including Usendi, are now in our fold,” he said.With the support of three BJP MLAs – Dr Devrao Holi from Gadchiroli, Krushna Gajbe from Armori, and Bunty Bhangdiya from Chimur – out of the five in the region, Nete appears to have a strong backing compared to Kirsan, whose campaign has been weakened by Dr Usendi’s departure.