Maharashtra: Lok Sabha MP Suresh 'Balu' Dhanorkar who saved the Congress face in ’19 no more

Suresh aka Balu Dhanorkar

Suresh Dhanorkar aka Balu Dhanorkar, the Congress's lone Lok Sabha member from Maharashtra, passed away on Tuesday. His sudden demise has created yet another vacancy from Maharashtra; the first seat fell vacant following the death of BJP's Pune MP Girish Bapat. There is a possibility of two by-polls soon. MP from Chandrapur in east Vidarbha, 47-year-old Dhanorkar was diagnosed with a kidney ailment last week, which was first treated in Nagpur. Later, he was shifted to a hospital in Delhi. Because of his illness, he could not attend the last rites of his father, who died on Saturday.

Dhanorkar is survived by his wife Pratibha, an MLA, and two sons. Dhanorkar shot to limelight after defeating the then union minister of state Hansraj Ahir and then for demanding to lift the ban on liquor in Chandrapur district. The leader, who began his career in the Shiv Sena, won the coal mine-dominated Warora-Bhadravati Assembly seat in 2014. But he resigned from the Shiv Sena and the Assembly ahead of the Lok Sabha polls to join the Congress.

Much drama had unfolded ahead of the Lok Sabha nomination when the Congress high command changed their mind on replacing official candidate Vinayak Bangade with Dhanorkar. Ashok Chavan, the then state Congress president, had threatened to resign when his suggestion to field Dhanorkar instead of Bangade was ignored by the party leadership in Delhi. Dhanorkar proved Chavan right by emerging a winner amid the Modi wave. He was one of two Congress MPs in 2014.

For Chavan, Dhanorkar's demise was a "personal loss". "His sudden illness and passing away within a couple of days is unbelievable and shocking. The untimely death came when his career was flourishing," he tweeted. Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and leaders from various parties paid their last tributes.

Unopposed by-polls?

Considering the 2019 contests in Pune and Chandrapur happened between the Congress and the BJP, there could be some amicable agreement to make the elections unopposed. The BJP would like to retain Pune and the Congress would want Chandrapur back at least until the next year's general elections. This is likely if the kin of the deceased MPs are nominated as official candidates. At least, such a possibility can be explored by the two sides, unless they stick to the hard ways that have been seen in the past by-elections.

However, in the event of by-poll contests, the parties would be taking it seriously to prepare strategically for the general elections. Chandrapur will remain with the Congress, the winner of 2019. But two of the three Maha Vikas Aghadi partners, the Congress and the NCP, have already desired to contest the Pune Lok Sabha seat.

Supported by the MVA allies, the Congress had won Pune's Kasba Assembly by-poll early this year. The grand old party would want the MVA allies to support it in the Pune Lok Sabha polls as well. However, a difference of opinion has cropped up in Pune because the Congress had lost to the BJP in 2014 and 2019, which has led the NCP to think that it should be given an opportunity to contest this time in view of its better strength in the city and the areas around it. The NCP would also want the allies to be with it.

As far as the BJP is concerned, it faces a task of nominating a candidate who can withstand the united MVA. In Kasba, the deceased MLA's family was not given a ticket, which had led to uproar among the party supporters. Former Pune MP Bapat's family, too, is keen on retaining a ticket. In Chandrapur, the Congress will first verify whether the Dhanorkars are keen to contest, before it finds others with electoral merit. If held soon, the by-polls will be conducted concurrently in Pune and Chandrapur.