Raigad Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies of Maharashtra. Sunil Tatkare of Nationalist Congress Party Ajit Pawar faction has won for the second consecutive time in the Lok Sabha elections held this year. This parliamentary constituency came into existence in 2008 after the recommendations of the Delimitation Commission of India constituted in 2002. Parliamentary elections were held here for the first time in 2009. Marathas ruled this region for a long time. Raigad fort was built by Chhatrapati Shivaji on a hill here. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s coronation also took place here.
Raigad Lok Sabha constituency falls under Raigad and Ratnagiri districts of Maharashtra. Which is formed by combining Pen, Alibag, Shrivardhan, Mahad, Dapoli and Guhagar assembly constituencies. In the last assembly elections held in 2019, Shiv Sena won four seats. Along with this, BJP and Congress also managed to open their account. Pen assembly seat of Raigad Lok Sabha constituency is considered a strong stronghold of the Peasant and Workers Party of India. Party leader Mohan Mahadev Patil won it five times in a row from 1980 to 1999. After this, in 2004, Ravi Seth Patil was successful in winning the election from here.
However, the Peasant and Workers Party had won from here in 2009 and 2014 as well. Currently, Ravisheth Patil won the last election on a BJP ticket. The Alibag assembly seat of this Lok Sabha constituency is also considered a stronghold of the Peasants and Workers Party of India. The party has ruled here from 1978 to 2004. Currently, Mahendra Dalvi, leader of the Shiv Sena Shinde faction, is the MLA from here. He won by defeating Subhash Patil. The voters of Shrivardhan assembly constituency, which came into existence in 1962 with the formation of Maharashtra state, have so far given a chance to win to all parties except BJP. Currently, Ajit Pawar’s faction of Shiv Sena has been in power here for 15 years, whose leader Aditi Tatkare is currently representing this area. Before 2009, Shiv Sena has also won the elections here four times in a row.
Mahad assembly constituency of Raigad Lok Sabha constituency is considered one of the strongest strongholds of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. Where the party had lost the election against NCP only in 2004 since 1990. Bharatsheth Gogavale of Eknath Shinde’s faction Shiv Sena has been MLA from this seat for 15 consecutive years. Dapoli assembly seat of this Lok Sabha constituency is also one of the strongest seats of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. From where Suryakant Dalvi was elected MLA five times in a row from 1990 to 2014. However, NCP was successful in winning here in 2014. But in the 2019 elections, Yogesh Kadam of Shiv Sena made a comeback and won. BJP had maintained its dominance for a time on Guhagar assembly seat, known as number 264 in the Maharashtra state assembly. The party had won elections here continuously from 1980 to 2004, but after that, the voters of this area have been expressing trust in former NCP leader Bhaskar Jadhav, who is currently in Uddhav Thackeray’s faction, since 2009.
