Nashik: Former deputy chief minister Chaggan Bhujbal has selected his nephew, Sameer, to fight the Lok Sabha polls on NCP ticket from Nashik.Party supremo Sharad Pawar had given a free hand to Bhujbal to select the party’s nominee.The NCP has also given the ticket to former Shiv Sena MLA Dhanraj Mahale for the Dindori reserved seat. Mahale was taken into the NCP fold recently.In 2009, Sameer had defeated MNS’ Hemant Godse, who is currently the sitting MP of Shiv Sena.Many feel that Sameer has a tough job to repeat his 2009 performance as the two parties, especially the BJP, have gained in strength in the assembly segments involving the city areas in the recent years. BJP has won the civic polls for the first time two years ago.The Nashik parliamentary constituency consists of Sinnar, Nashik East, Nashik Central, Nashik West, Deolali and Igatpuri.Sameer’s political adversaries would surely rake up the issue of his alleged involvement in corruption. He was released on bail last June after being behind the bars for two years for his alleged involvement in a money laundering case, along with Chaggan Bhujbal. The Enforcement Directorate had booked the duo.The senior Bhujbal, however, exuded confidence that the Nashik voters would repose their faith in Sameer.Sameer also exuded confidence that he will definitely win the seat.“I did not contest since there was immense pressure on me from my voters in Yeola assembly constituency to concentrate there. They were fearful that if I got elected as the Nashik MP Yeola would be left in the lurch,” Chaggan Bhujbal said.He emphasised that Sameer has the experience to work as MP and the confidence to defeat his political rivals in the polls.“It was during his tenure as MP that Nashik registered maximum growth and the city was much ahead of Nagpur in terms of development. Sadly the growth story of Nashik was crippled after 2014,” he said.Stating that Sameer has immense grassroots connections across the constituency, Bhujbal said he had started preparing for the polls about two months ago. He also said that the NCP workers would rally behind Mahale and he would bag the Dindori seat.In the 2009 elections, Sameer had defeated Godse by margin of 22,000 just votes. Godse had later left the MNS and joined the Shiv Sena. In 2014, he had defeated the Chhagan Bhujbal by a margin of 1.87 lakh votes.

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