Shiv Sena's Prakash Jadhav wins Ramtek Lok Sabha by-election

Nagpur, Apr 12 (UNI) The Shiv Sena has won the Ramtek Lok Sabha constituency by-election with party candidate Prakash Jadhav defeating his nearest rival Subodh Mohite of the Congress by a margin of 32,572 votes.

Mr Jadhav polled 231,241 votes as against Mr Mohite's 198,699 votes. Congress rebel Ranjit Deshmukh, who contested as an independent, polled 79,638 votes. A total of twelve candidates were in the fray.

Significantly, Mr Jadhav led in five of the six assembly segments in the Ramtek Lok Sabha constituency. Mr Jadhav led in Morshi, Umrer, Kalameshwar, Katol and Ramtek assembly segments, while Mr Mohite led only in the Saoner assembly segment.

Reacting upon the win, Mr Jadhav told reporters that his win was a victory for the ordinary voter and for Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray's philosophy. ''The voters in Ramtek have shown the traitor his place,'' Mr Jadhav said without naming anybody.

The people were fed up with the spate of suicides by farmers in Vidarbha, the long hours of load shedding and the rising prices of essential commodities, and the anger against these problems found vent through the mandate in favour of the Shiv Sena in Ramtek, he added.

The by-election in Ramtek was held because Mr Mohite, who was elected in 2004 on a Shiv Sena ticket, had resigned from the party and the House to join the Congress. Mr Mohite was the Congress nominee in the by-poll, while the Shiv Sena fielded Mr Jadhav. Mr Ranjit Deshmukh, a former Maharashtra minister and a former chief of the state unit of the Congress, had raised a banner of revolt after the party denied him a ticket for the Ramtek by-poll, and entered the fray as an independent. Voting took place on April 9, with a turnout of 46.97 per cent, and the counting was held today.

UNI