Chhatrapati Sambhaijnagar, May 10 (Reporter) Elections in three Lok Sabha constituencies --Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Jalna, and Beed in Marathwada region scheduled for May 13 have caught the attention of the entire state Political observers said going by the current political scene in these constituencies, caste and their preferences are the factors that stand to decide the fate of a candidate. Pankaja Munde, a former MLA and daughter of the late veteran BJP stalwart Gopinath Munde, has been facing a tough challenge in the Beed constituency. It seems that the polarisation of the Maratha caste and the anger generated from it might benefit NCP (Sharad Pawar) candidate Bajrang Sonwane as is observed that , as he is being welcomed warmly in many rural areas of Beed Lok Sabha constituency. On the other hand, Pankaja Munde was facing tough questions from the supporters of the reservation movement. Reservation supporters are demanding her to clarify her stand on the issue. Maratha agitators are found to be annoyed more in the Gevrai, Majalgaon, and Beed assembly segments of the Beed Lok Sabha constituency. On the other hand, a united OBC appeared to have stood firmly behind Pankaja Munde. Before the Lok Sabha elections, Pankaja Munde had raised her concerns with the party leaders, over the issue of internal bickering in the BJP. But she hoped to retain the seat for the BJP as the NCP (Ajit Pawar) is in a political alliance with the BJP, and her cousin Dhananjay Munde has joined her in the campaigning. Dhananjay, a Minister in the Shinde government, has thrown his weight behind Pankaja. Incidentally, it was Dhananjay who had defeated Pankaja in the last Assembly elections from the Parli Vaijanath constituency. The leadership of Beed district has been in the hands of OBC leaders since long. However, this time around, the Maratha community has put up stiff resistance to it in the wake of the Maratha reservation movement. Currently, instead of talking about the issue of development in Beed Lok Sabha constituency, all the party candidates are busy indulging in mudslinging against each other. This time the constituency is witnessing a three-cornered fight in Beed. Bajrang Sonwane, the MVA candidate of the NCP (Sharad Pawar), has posed a real challenge to Pankaja Munde, the Mahayuti-led NDA. Ashok Hinge, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi candidate, is also confident of victory in the triangular contest. Especially in the wake of Maratha reservation activists putting hurdles on the way of Pankaja. Earlier, the BJP's Dr. Pritam Munde had won the Beed constituency for two consecutive terms. The party nominated Pankaja Munde instead of her sister this time , thinking that she would pull off the victory for the BJP. Bajrang Sonawane, who was defeated in 2019, has again been nominated by Mahavikas Aghadi. Every election in the Aurangabad Lok Sabha seat in Marathwada is usually fought in the past on the issue of 'Khan Hawa Ki Baan' (you need a khan or a baan (arrow). However, this time around, the Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency is witnessing a different scenario, as it is set to witness a multi-cornered contest. As many as 38 candidates are in the fray in Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) Lok Sabha constituency. So, 6120 EVMs will be required at this place. The candidate here too appeared to be banking on caste-religious appeals. Shinde Sena, Uddhav Sena, and AIMIM are three major contenders. Uddhav Sena's (UBT) candidate Chandrakant Khaire is a former MP, while Shinde Sena's Sandipan Bhumre is a Minister in the state government, and AIMIM's Syed Imtiaz Jaleel currently represents the seat in Parliament. BJP leader and Union Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad had been seeking to contest this seat. But the seat went to Shinde Sena, and the Modi supporters will have to work hard for his victory. Political observers opine that AIMIM's Imtiyaz Jaleel might have an upper hand this time too, in the wake of a fight between Khaire and Bhumre, who were colleagues prior to the split in the Shiv Sena. The election in Aurangabad has always been the focus of state politics. The victory of the candidate here too is dependent on who gets caste-based segmented votes. The issue of changing the name of Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar is also one of the election issues. The current movement of the Maratha community started in Jalna district. It might have an impact on neighbouring districts like Aurangabad and Beed. Raosaheb Danve of the BJP has represented Jalna in the Lok Sabha since 1999. He currently holds the post of Union Minister of State for Railways. The people of Marathwada expected that Danve will solve their problems relating to railway but it did not happen. The struggle that the Maratha community has launched for reservation and the railways are the two major issues that are being discussed in the areas of Jalna Lok Sabha Constituency. Raosaheb Danve has to face the wrath of the Maratha community. The Maratha community opposed him in many places this time. In the wake of these issues, it is a question whether Marathas would throw their weight behind him or Kalyan Kale, also a Maratha candidate. In 2019, Jalna Lok Sabha Constituency recorded 64.50 percent polling. It was then a triangular contest between Raosaheb Danve of the BJP, Vilas Autade of the Congress, and Sharadchandra Wankhede of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. Danve had won by a margin of 3, 32, 815 votes. It appears this time the Maratha community has been united against Raosaheb Danve. It is to be seen how much Manoj Jarange Patil, the leader of the Maratha reservation movement, would influence the fight in Jalna. Overall, in the three Lok Sabha constituencies of Aurangabad, Beed, and Jalna in Marathwada, it is certain that the future of the candidates will be decided by caste-based influences...////...