Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Yajnavalkya Jichkar Set To Challenge Anil Deshmukh In Katol, Aiming For Independent Victory Like Sangli Model

Nagpur: The Katol assembly constituency in Nagpur district may in all probability see a replay of the Sangli model that was witnessed in the recent Lok Sabha elections where an independent candidate defeated the official MVA candidate.

A political debutant is keen on challenging sitting MLA and former state home minister Anil Deshmukh in Katol. Yajnavalkya Jichkar has sought a Congress ticket and may contest as an independent if the Congress denies him the ticket.

In Sangli, Congress aspirant Vishal Patil was denied ticket for the Lok Sabha seat and Sena (UBT)'s Chandrahar Patill was fielded as official candidate of MVA. However, Vishal Patil contested as an independent candidate and won the seat defeating the MVA nominee.

Yajnavalkya, is the son of the late Dr Shrikant Jichkar, former finance minister who once held 14 portfolios and was close to becoming chief minister. The 30-year-old Yajnavalkya wants to make an electoral debut from Katol from where his illustrious father started his public life.

Shrikant Jichkar had entered record books as the most-educated political leader of India having obtained 20 degrees that included MBBS, MD with over two dozen gold medals in the academic life.

In addition to these degrees, the senior Jichkar had the unique distinction of qualifying both for the prestigious IAS and IPS and then he earned the tag of the most eligible bachelor. That he chose politics over bureaucracy and went to garner nearly two dozen degrees appearing to 48 University exams, is now part of folklore. Yajnavalkya wants to emulate his father who won from Katol in 1980 as a Congress candidate.

Yajnavalkya has been working silently in Katol for the last three years and has organised hundreds of camps for youth, women and farmers. He has guided over 6000 youth in getting jobs in the private sector. "He is sincerely trying to carry forward the legacy of his father who had made a name in the state politics and at one time was close to becoming the chief minister," said his mentor and close associate of senior Jiachkar, who preferred to stay anonymous.

The biggest hurdle in Yajnavalkya's plan to contest from Katol is that the seat is held by senior NCP (Pawar) leader and ex-minister Anil Deshmukh. Sources in the Congress believe there is anti-incumbency against Deshmukh who has won consecutive elections since 1995 except in 2014 when he was defeated by his own nephew Ashish Deshmukh.

Interestingly, Ashish who is back in the BJP after he was kicked out of the Congress, is also vying for the ticket to fight elections from Katol constituency.

Sources close to Yajnavalkya insisted that the Congress leadership has given him an assurance that they would try till the last moment to get the NCP (Pawar) vacate the seat for the Congress. In case this does not happen, the young leader would contest as an independent candidate since he is sure that the voters who cherish his late father's memories would elect him.

The Katol constituency has another interesting twist as in the past it has repeatedly favoured an independent candidate over the official nominee of a party. Anil Deshmukh was elected in 1995 as an independent in 1995 to become a minister in the then BJP-Sena government.

Similarly, another independent candidate, Sunil Shinde, had defeated Shrikant Jichkar in 1985 state elections from the same seat. All these factors are boosting Yajnavalkya's political ambitions.