The ‘Sangli pattern’ became a hot topic in the last Lok Sabha elections when Vishal Patil, the grandson of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vasantdada Patil, contested as a rebel against the official candidate of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Despite being a Congress leader at the time, Patil’s defection led to an embarrassing defeat for the MVA’s Shiv Sena candidate. Later, Patil extended his support to the INDIA alliance, but the damage was already done. Political analysts now believe Vidarbha’s Katol seat may witness a similar scenario, threatening Congress once again.
In Katol, Yajnavalkya Jichkar, the son of former Minister Dr. Shrikant Jichkar, is vying for the MVA ticket, but the seat is currently held by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction led by Sharad Pawar. Anil Deshmukh, former Home Minister of Maharashtra and the incumbent MLA from Katol, is reportedly reluctant to give up the seat to Jichkar.
According to insiders, Deshmukh is planning to contest against Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis from the Nagpur South West constituency in the upcoming state elections. Deshmukh intends for his son, Salil Deshmukh, to contest from Katol. The way Deshmukh has been attacking Fadnavis in recent months suggests this has been a long-term strategy. Meanwhile, Yajnavalkya Jichkar, who has quietly worked in Katol over the past 3-4 years, believes his grassroots efforts will pay off. Jichkar has focused on youth employment, organizing several camps and helping over 6,000 young people secure jobs in the private sector.
“Jichkar is trying to carry forward his father’s legacy. Dr. Shrikant Jichkar had made a mark in state politics and was once close to becoming Chief Minister,” said a local Mahayuti leader on condition of anonymity.
While Deshmukh has held the Katol seat since 1995—losing only in 2014 to his nephew, Ashish Deshmukh—Congress insiders believe that anti-incumbency sentiment may work in Jichkar’s favor. Ashish, who recently rejoined the BJP after being ousted from the Congress, is also seeking the BJP ticket for Katol.
Sources within the Congress suggest that the party leadership has assured Jichkar they will make every effort to convince NCP (Pawar) to vacate the seat for the Congress. However, if this fails, Jichkar may consider running as an independent, believing his work in the constituency and his father’s legacy will attract enough votes to secure a win.
Katol has a history of favoring independent candidates over official party nominees. Anil Deshmukh himself was elected as an independent in 1995, later becoming a minister in the BJP-Sena government. In 1985, another independent candidate, Sunil Shinde, defeated Dr. Shrikant Jichkar in the state elections.
Yajnavalkya Jichkar, at 30 years old, is looking to make his electoral debut from the constituency where his father began his public life. Dr. Shrikant Jichkar was not only a prominent political figure but also entered the record books as the most-educated political leader in India, holding 20 degrees, including MBBS and MD, and over two dozen gold medals. He also uniquely qualified for both the IAS and IPS.
The question now is whether Jichkar’s determination and legacy will prevail, or if the ‘Sangli pattern’ will once again play out, causing embarrassment for the Congress in Vidarbha.
The ‘Sangli pattern’ became a hot topic in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when Vishal Patil, the grandson of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vasantdada Patil, contested as a rebel against the official candidate of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Despite being a Congress leader at the time, Patil’s defection led to an embarrassing defeat for the MVA’s Shiv Sena candidate. Later, Patil extended his support to the INDIA bloc, but the damage was already done. Political analysts now believe Vidarbha’s Katol seat may witness a similar scenario, threatening Congress once again.
In Katol, Yajnavalkya Jichkar, the son of former minister Dr Shrikant Jichkar, has been vying for an MVA ticket, but the seat is currently held by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction led by Sharad Pawar. Anil Deshmukh, former Home Minister of Maharashtra and the incumbent MLA from Katol, is reportedly reluctant to give up the seat to Jichkar.
According to insiders, Deshmukh is planning to contest against Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis from the Nagpur South West constituency in the upcoming state elections. Deshmukh intends for his son, Salil Deshmukh, to contest from Katol. The way Deshmukh has been attacking Fadnavis in recent months suggests this has been a long-term strategy. Meanwhile, Yajnavalkya Jichkar, who has quietly worked in Katol over the past 3-4 years, believes his grassroots efforts will pay off. Jichkar has focused on youth employment, organising several camps and helping over 6,000 young people secure jobs in the private sector.
“Jichkar is trying to carry forward his father’s legacy. Dr Shrikant Jichkar had made a mark in state politics and was once close to becoming Chief Minister,” said a local Mahayuti leader on condition of anonymity.
While Deshmukh has held the Katol seat since 1995, losing only in 2014 to his nephew, Ashish Deshmukh, Congress insiders believe that anti-incumbency sentiment may work in Jichkar’s favor. Ashish, who recently rejoined the BJP after being ousted from the Congress, is also seeking the BJP ticket for Katol.
Sources within the Congress suggest that the party leadership has assured Jichkar they will make every effort to convince NCP (SP) to vacate the seat for the Congress. However, if this fails, Jichkar may consider running as an Independent, believing his work in the constituency and his father’s legacy will attract enough votes to secure a win.
Katol has a history of favouring Independent candidates over official party nominees. Anil Deshmukh himself was elected as an Independent in 1995, later becoming a minister in the BJP-Sena government. In 1985, another Independent candidate, Sunil Shinde, defeated Dr Shrikant Jichkar in the state elections.
Yajnavalkya Jichkar, at 30 years old, is looking to make his electoral debut from the constituency where his father began his public life. Dr Shrikant Jichkar was not only a prominent political figure but also entered the record books as the most-educated political leader in India, holding 20 degrees, including MBBS and MD, and over two dozen gold medals. He also uniquely qualified for both the IAS and IPS.
The question now is whether Jichkar’s determination and legacy will prevail, or if the ‘Sangli pattern’ will once again play out, causing embarrassment for the Congress in Vidarbha.
