Nagpur. In the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, Congress's Abhijeet Vanjari has given important success to the party by winning from Nagpur Graduate constituency for the second consecutive time. In Nagpur, which is considered to be dominated by BJP, Vanjari defeated former MLA Sudhakar Kohle by 3,271 votes. With this victory he not only saved his seat but also opened the election account for Congress.
Vanjari got a total of 67,231 votes, while BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohle could get 63,960 votes. The contest was very close and the counting process lasted for more than 40 hours.
Who is Abhijeet Vanjari?
Abhijeet Govindrao Vanjari is a senior leader of Congress. He is a lawyer by profession and is also associated with the education sector. His father Govindrao Vanjari was a Congress leader and was twice elected MLA from South Nagpur assembly constituency. Amidst this political background, Abhijeet Vanjari started his journey in student politics.
He completed BA and Law from Nagpur University. From 1998 to 2002, he was the state general secretary of NSUI, the student wing of the Congress in Maharashtra. After this he also took up various responsibilities in Youth Congress and Nagpur District Congress Organization.
Journey from student politics to Legislative Council
Vanjari's political journey has been full of ups and downs. He contested the South Nagpur Assembly by-election in 2005 and the East Nagpur Assembly seat in 2014, but lost both times.
After this he strengthened his political hold in the Legislative Council elections. In the year 2020, Vanjari had won from Nagpur Graduate constituency by defeating BJP's Sandeep Joshi by 18,910 votes. Now in 2026, he has retained this seat for the second consecutive time by defeating Sudhakar Kohle.
Also active in education sector
Apart from politics, Vanjari is also associated with education and social activities. He is the secretary of an organization called Amar Seva Mandal. This institution runs colleges of engineering, pharmacy, law, management and other subjects in the Vidarbha region. He also serves as the President of Govind Urban Credit Cooperative Society and participates in social activities through the Govindrao Vanjari Foundation.
He has also played the role of election observer for Congress in other states including Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
What did Vanjari say after the victory?
After the victory, Vanjari said that the voters of the graduate constituency are educated and they understand the work done by their representatives. He cited his last six years in office as the reason for his victory and said that he will try to continue similar programs in the next term also.
The victory in Nagpur despite the presence of prominent BJP leaders and extensive campaigning has once again brought the political contest on this seat into focus. Vanjari claimed that the BJP campaigned by targeting him instead of its candidate. According to him, the voters gave importance to his work.
Abhijeet Vanjari's political stature has increased after his second consecutive victory. Now he will face the challenge of living up to the expectations of the graduates and other voters of his area in the next six years.