Former BJP MP Prataprao Chikhalikar has insisted that he will indeed contest the assembly poll next month from Loha Kandhar

Nanded : The as-yet undeclared list of the BJP's candidates for the assembly poll next month has generated several speculative reports, and to this list comes swirling reports that the party is also mulling another fresh name for the bye-election to Nanded Lok Sabha seat caused by the death of sitting Congress MP Vasantrao Chavan.

Amid all this hue and cry, BJP's Prataprao Chikhalikar on Thursday announced while speaking to News Agency, "I am going to contest the assembly election from Loha Kandhar constituency, which I have represented for years. I have also asked the party to give me a ticket from this seat — at any cost, I am going to contest from Loha Kandhar."

On being asked what he would do if the BJP does not nominate him for the assembly election, he said again, "I will contest the election. If, mistakenly, I don't get the ticket, imagine what the BJP will be left with if I contest as an independent. I have worked as a leader of the BJP in Nanded district. The party strengthened me, and at the last moment, if I am sidelined, what message will go to the masses? I firmly believe I will not be sidelined and will be given a ticket from Loha Kandhar assembly constituency.

In 2004, Chikhalikar became an independent MLA by winning the Loha Kandhar constituency in the assembly poll. He won from the same constituency in the 2009 and 2014 assembly polls.

After this, he contested the Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket in 2019 and won with a margin of over 50,000 votes. However, in the LS poll earlier this year, Chikhalikar lost to Congress party's Vasantrao Chavan by a margin of 59,442 votes.

Within months of the election win, Vasant Chavan died at a Hyderabad-based super-specialty hospital on Aug 27 while undergoing treatment. His death prompted the by-poll, and soon after the Election Commission announced it, Congress declared the candidature of the late MP's son, Ravindra Chavan, on Oct 17.

AIMIM state president Syed Imtiaz Jaleel also announced on the same day that he intended to contest the LS by-poll from Nanded.

It is tough to say who's going to be the BJP candidate for the LS by-poll. Initially, I was told that there were two names — Ashok Chavan or me. Then, I was told other names like Pranita Chikhalikar, Santuk Hambarde, Marutrao Tode, Rajesh Gonturkar, and MLA Ram Patil Ratolikar. The party will conduct a survey and, in another two days, declare the name of a candidate they deem fit to contest.

He said that since this delay will create obstacles for the candidate, his or her less campaigning would be a reason to attract less voters to their field.