Govind Gawade become the first independent candidate to win from Priol constituency when he defeated two-time MGP MLA Deepak Dhavalikar.
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Gawade won with a huge margin of 4,686 votes, when he polled a massive 15,149 votes, while Deepak Dhavalikar was left with 10,463.
An ecstatic Gawade said though he had been defeated in 2012, he had not stopped his work in the constituency. “People had trust in me and my well-wishers helped me to win,” he said.
When contacted, Dhavalikar claimed that the Congress and BJP had come together to defeat him. “The Congress candidate got a few votes. It is clear that the Congress also helped Govind to win. My votes were intact,” reasoned out Dhavalikar.
Asked whether he repented for severing ties with the BJP, he replied in the negative.
The split in BJP-MGP alliance also benefitted Gawade as the BJP had openly supported Gawade and had vowed to defeat Deepak Dhaavlikar.
