Bhokar Assembly constituency, situated in Nanded district, was represented by late chief minister Shankarrao Chavan and now 30 years later his son and incumbent chief minister Ashok Chavan is seeking re-election to the Legislative Assembly from this constituency.
Post delimitation, junior Chavan's constituency Mudkhed has been merged with Bhokar and the recarved constituency comprises the tehsils of Mudkhed, Ardhapur and Bhokar.
The old Bhokar constituency's Naigaum, Umri and Dharmabad tehsils have been included in the new Assembly constituency of Naigaum.
Situated about 45km from Nanded town, hokar has a voter population of over 2.19lakh.
Majority of population is Maratha and Muslim community. An agrarian society, the major crop is sugarcane and banana plantation.
Ashok Chavan told PTI that the constituency has changed slightly geographically after delimitation with the inclusion of his previous Mudkhed and Ardhapur tehsils to the Bhokar tehsil.
"I sanctioned a sub-divisional office for Bhokar and even upgraded it to Municipality status two years ago. In Mudkhed and Ardhapur, irrigation facilities, infrastructure
has been upgraded," Chavan said. Chavan said his father represented the constituency as
chief minister and after 30 years he too was seeking re-election as chief minister.
"History is repeating itself and my father would have been happy to see me filing nomination from a constituency nursed by him for three terms," he said.
SB Chavan was the chief minister from 1975-77 and he represented Bhokar for three terms before contesting the Parliamentary elections from Nanded.
The chief minister's main rival Dr Madhavrao Kinhalkar is contesting as an independent while Shiv Sena has fielded Bhimrao Kshirsagar.
Kinhalkar, who was elected from Bhokar in 1990 and 1995, served as minister of state for home, revenue in the Sharad Pawar government. He joined the NCP in 1999 but quit
the party soon. He said that he began his campaign last month and has received overwhelming response.
Kinhalkar, a doctor by profession, plans to cash on the anti-incumbuncy factor against the congress-NCP.
"Ashok Chavan has hardly visited the constituency during his entire term. Besides, there has been no credible opposition in the constituency. Insignificant candidates have been put up against him in the last election which facilitated his win," Kinhalkar said. The chief minister has seen electoral success only because of his father's background and the voters never had a alternate choice, Kinhalkar alleged.
Kinhalkar said he was not new to the constituency. "I have won twice from here and it is for the sixth time that I am contesting the assembly elections," he said. He lamented that development always takes a backseat in rural areas where caste equations and other
irrelevant issues dominate.
"Bhokar has inadequate irrigation potential," he said.
As the Congress-NCP vie for a third term in office, all eyes will be on whether Ashok Chavan will retain his chief ministerial post if the government is voted back to power.
Locals say Bhokar has been the constituency, which has elected the chief minister, Ashok Chavan will know if he can follow his father's footsteps after October 22.
