Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: It has been almost confirmed now that the seat in the Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency, as part of the alliance, will go to the Shiv Sena faction (Shinde faction) of the grand alliance. It is understood that besides the guardian minister Sandipan Bhumre and district chief Rajendra Janjal, two other candidates are interested in contesting from the Shinde Sena.
Shinde Sena spokesperson MLA Sanjay Shirsat had announced two days ago while speaking to journalists that the allocation of seats within the alliance would be declared on Tuesday and candidate announcements would also be made on the same day. However, with the passing of time, there has been no announcement of candidates. Both BJP and Sena were vying for the Aurangabad seat. However, Aurangabad is traditionally a stronghold of Shiv Sena, with six Shiv Sena MLAs in the district. Hence, with the strength of the Sena (Shinde faction), their claim on this constituency has become stronger, indicating that this seat might be left for the Shinde faction.
Even if the seat is secured, the big question remains about who the candidate will be, a matter of concern for the Shinde faction. Although the name of minister Sandipan Bhumre was under discussion, his lack of presence in the Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency has made them interested in someone else, raising doubts on this matter. Now, Rajendra Janjal or Vinod Patil's names are coming up. However, if former MP Chandrakant Khair is nominated by the Shiv Sena (Thackeray), then the Shinde Sena will also have to search for an OBC candidate.