Sweet revenge for Shrirang Barne - Times of India

Shiv Sena's Shrirang Barne avenged his 2009 assembly poll loss to Laxman Jagtap by registering a comfortable victory in Maval Lok Sabha constituency.

This is Sena's second consecutive win in Maval. Jagtap had contested on Peasants and Workers Party of India ticket. NCP's Rahul Narvekar, who made a last minute shift from Shiv Sena, had to contend with the third position.

The NCP, which had a strong hold in Pimpri and Chinchwad areas, was having a tough time finding a suitable candidate after Jagtap declined the nomination. Ajit Pawar then called Rahul Narwekar, who had left Sena in a jiffy. AAP's Maruti Bhapkar, who had contested in 2009 as independent, could not make an impact as he was relegated to the fourth position.

The focus was on Maval since February when rapid political developments started. The NCP suffered a setback when ex-mayor Azam Pansare joined Congress. Jagtap was the next to go. His candidature was supported by MNS, which pulled the plug at the last moment with Raj Thackeray openly criticizing Jagtap's stand on illegal buildings.