Maharashtra polls: Chavans ,Deshmukhs fight to retain hold as people throng Narendra Modi's rallies

AURANGABAD: Two dominant political families in Marathwada region will face a ‘make or break’ situation in the assembly polls this time. One is that of former CM and Congress MP Ashok Chavan in Nanded and the other of late Congress leader Vilasrao Deshmukh in Latur.

PM Modi’s rally in Beed on Saturday seems to have put Chavans and Deshmukhs under pressure. Ashok Chavan’s father, Shankarrao Chavan, was the Home Minister in Rajiv Gandhi’s cabinet. Ashok was given a ministerial berth in Maharashtra after Shankarrao’s death and later became CM after Vilasrao was removed from the post in November 2008.

But after the Adarsh scam exposure Chavan had to step down. He was rehabilitated by the party just before LS polls. He managed to win and become an MP from Nanded.Now Chavan’s wife Amita is contesting the seat that he once held.

"We won seven out of nine seats in Nanded. This time a similar thing will happen," said Ashok Chavan. But party insiders say that the Chavans’ look nervous because they are being challenged from one side by the BJP and from the other by a rising NCP.

The Deshmukhs face a similar challenge in Latur. Vilasrao’s son, Amit, inducted in the state cabinet just before the polls, now faces an uphill task because his own uncle Diliprao Deshmukh was his rival for that berth.