Raju Thodasam Proves Third Time Lucky, Wins on BJP Ticket From Arni

 Adilabad: Former Adivasi MLA Raju Thodasam, who initially joined the BRS and later switched to the BJP just before the Assembly elections, has won from the Arni Assembly seat in Maharashtra.

Earlier, Thodasam won an election on a BJP ticket. However, after the saffron party denied him a ticket, he joined the NCP and subsequently the BRS. He later left the BRS because the party decided not to contest elections in Maharashtra. Returning to the BJP before the Assembly elections, Thodasam contested from the Arni seat and defeated Congress candidate Jithendra Shivaji Moge.

Telangana Congress leaders, who had campaigned extensively in Telugu-dominated areas of Maharashtra, were confident of winning several seats. However, the election results did not favour their expectations.

Several leaders who had joined the BRS in Maharashtra shifted their loyalties to the BJP, Congress, and NCP ahead of the Assembly elections, impacting the political dynamics in the region.

In the Arni Assembly race, Thodasam garnered 1,27,203 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jithendra Shivaji Moge, who secured 97,890 votes. Additionally, Congress candidate Dhote Subhash was defeated by BJP’s Deorao Vithoba Bhongle in the Rajura Assembly seat, losing by 3,059 votes. Bhongle received 72,882 votes compared to Subhash’s 69,823.

Manikrao Thakare Govindarao, a former AICC in-charge for Telangana, was also defeated in Digras by Rathod Sanjay Dhulichand of Shiv Sena (Shinde).

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and minister for rural development Seethakka actively campaigned in Yavatmal and Chandrapur districts, areas with significant Telugu populations.

At a recent farmers’ meeting in Adilabad, BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao urged residents of the erstwhile Adilabad district to encourage their relatives and friends to vote against the Congress in the Assembly elections, aiming to strengthen their party’s position in the region.