A clash of allegiances and development promises in Ambegaon

The Ambegaon constituency faces a pivotal assembly election this year, as seven-time incumbent MLA Dilip Walse Patil, long viewed as Sharad Pawar’s loyalist, squares off against Devdatta Nikam from the opposing NCP faction.
Representing Ajit Pawar-led NCP, Walse Patil finds himself for the first time directly challenged by a candidate backed by his former mentor, Sharad Pawar, turning the election narrative around defector.
Walse Patil has held the Ambegaon seat since he first ran as a Congress candidate in 1990, securing it for seven consecutive terms, most recently defeating Shiv Sena’s Rajaram Bankhele by 66,000 votes in 2019.
This year, he faces Nikam, a former ally and former chairman of the Bhimashankar Cooperative Sugar Factory and Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Market in Ambegaon, now running as a candidate for the NCP (SP) faction.
Nikam, who contested the Shirur Lok Sabha seat in 2014 but was defeated by Shiv Sena’s Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil, poses a formidable challenge in a constituency that has historically supported Walse Patil.
The Ambegaon constituency comprises largely agricultural population, with over 40 villages still facing water scarcity for both drinking and farming. Major infrastructure projects like the lift irrigation project have stalled, and the semi-rural belt continues to struggle with access to essential resources. For tribal residents, the issues are even more acute—land documentation complications, lack of healthcare facilities, and inadequate resources post-Dimbhe Dam construction have impacted their livelihoods, pushing many to rely on local brick kilns for income.
Local resident Budhaji Damse highlighted these ongoing issues, pointing out that around 350 tribal families from 19 villages remain unrehabilitated following the Dimbhe Dam project. “Villages like Dhamani, Pokhari, Jambhori, and Tale Ghar are still without reliable drinking water, and pending tribal projects only worsen the situation,” Damse said. Another resident, Ganesh Kale, added that villages like Kondhare and Tirpad are still dependent on tankers for drinking water, while basic infrastructure like connecting roads remains incomplete.
Despite these issues, Walse Patil has overseen development projects totalling over ₹2,501 crore, establishing institutions like the Bhimashankar Sugar Factory, Bhimashankar Educational Institution, and initiatives promoting women’s empowerment. He has also resisted projects that might divert water from the Dimbhe Dam, recently securing ₹68.56 crore for lining the dam’s left canal.
“For seven terms, I have focused on essential infrastructure, education, and healthcare to support our constituency. We transformed the region from drought-stricken to agriculturally prosperous,” said Walse Patil.
However, Nikam asserts that these achievements have fallen short, especially for farmers and tribal communities. “Forty villages in Ambegaon still face drought, and farmers supplying sugar are yet to receive promised membership benefits from the sugar factory. There are hospitals, but doctors are scarce, and there’s still no pharmacy or engineering college in Ambegaon, leaving students to rely on distant institutions,” Nikam said.
Nikam said his campaign aims to ensure basic necessities and promote sustainable livelihoods, such as setting up RO plants for water, completing the irrigation project, and developing tourism initiatives. “We want to see every village in Ambegaon have access to water and electricity, especially in tribal areas. By establishing projects like poultry, fishing, and tourism, we aim to build a self-sustaining community,” he said.
The electorate
Male voters: 158,653
Female voters: 153,648
Transgenders: 10
Total voters: 312,311
Polling stations: 341