Jalgaon is a major Lok Sabha constituency of Maharashtra. Where the Bharatiya Janata Party has been in power for the last 25 years. In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the party’s Smita Wagh won. Jalgaon region is considered very beautiful historically, culturally and naturally. Being the district headquarters, there are also big offices of all government departments here. Parola Fort located near the Bori River bears testimony to the historicity of this region. This fort was built in 1727 by the father of Jhansi’s queen Lakshmibai. Sant Muktabai Temple is a major place among the religious places here.
Jalgaon Lok Sabha constituency is made up of Jalgaon city, Jalgaon rural, Amalner, Erandol, Chalisgaon and Pachora assembly constituencies. All these seats are completely occupied by the ‘Mahayuti alliance’. Under this, BJP has two seats, Shiv Sena has three and Nationalist Congress Party has one seat. Jalgaon city assembly seat of this Lok Sabha constituency is known as number 13 in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. This assembly constituency is also known throughout the country because of Jain Suresh Kumar Bhikamchand alias Suresh Jain. He has represented this seat continuously from 1980 to 2014. During this time, he has also been reaching the assembly on the ticket of Congress, Shiv Sena, NCP and many other parties. In 2012, he was convicted by the District Court in the Jalgaon Housing Scam. The current MLA on this seat is Suresh Damu Bhole of BJP, on whom the voters of the area have been trusting for 10 consecutive years.
Jalgaon Rural Assembly constituency, which came into existence in 2009 after the delimitation in Maharashtra in 2008, also falls under Jalgaon district. From where Gulab Raghunath Patil of Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde’s faction has been a continuous MLA since 2014. Before him, this seat was with Gulabrao Devkar of Nationalist Congress Party. MLA Raghunath Patil was made the Water Supply Minister in Eknath Shinde’s cabinet formed in 2022. He also got the opportunity to join the previous Uddhav Thackeray cabinet. Amalner Assembly seat of Jalgaon Lok Sabha constituency came into existence with the first general election held in the country. The Bharatiya Janata Party had always been in a strong position on this seat till 2009, but after that the voters of the area expressed confidence in independent candidates twice in 2009 and 2014. In the last election held in 2019, Anil Bhaidas Patil of Nationalist Congress Party of Ajit Pawar’s faction was successful in winning the election. MLA Patil has also been given the responsibility of the Ministry of Disaster Control and Rehabilitation in Eknath Shinde’s cabinet.
Erandol assembly seat of Jalgaon Lok Sabha constituency falls completely under Jalgaon district. Voters of this area have expressed their trust in almost all parties except Bharatiya Janata Party. Currently, Chimanrao Patil of Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) is the MLA from here. Before him, Annasaheb Dr. Satish Bhaskarrao Patil of NCP has also reached the assembly. NCP had held this seat for three consecutive times from 1999 to 2014. Chalisgaon assembly constituency, known as number 17 in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, has been in the possession of Bharatiya Janata Party for a long time. Between 1990 and 2019, this seat slipped from the hands of BJP only once. In the 2009 elections, Rajiv Dada Deshmukh of NCP ended the dominance of BJP from here for almost 20 years, but the party once again captured this seat in 2014. From where Mangesh Chavan is currently an MLA.
Pachora Assembly constituency of Jalgaon Lok Sabha constituency falls completely within Jalgaon district. This seat came into existence with the formation of Maharashtra state. Initially, this seat was continuously with the Congress but gradually the party lost control and it won the last election in Pachora in 2090. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party has failed to open its account on this seat so far. Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde’s faction has been winning elections from here for the last 10 years. Its leader Kishor Appa Patil is currently an MLA from here.
Jalgaon constituency is the western part of the district. Most of the area falls under the Girna river belt. Hence there is water shortage here. Some talukas face shortage every year. The Padalsare (low temperature) project which has been stalled for thirty years, the Gubra dam project on the Girna river, reduction in the price of cotton will be the major issues in this region. Despite BJP MPs being elected continuously, the work on these projects has not been completed. However, the Varkhed-Londhe project, four-lane highway and road works completed under the Baliraja Sanjivani Yojana can be positive aspects. The election will revolve around such issues.
