BJP banks on Fadnavis' ex-aide to halt Cong hat-trick in Ausa

A comparatively low-profile assembly segment, Ausa in central Maharashtra shot into limelight when Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's former PA Abhimanyu Pawar jumped into the fray as the BJP candidate and all eyes will be on how he fares in his maiden poll foray.

The Ausa Assembly seat in Latur district in the arid Marathwada region will see Pawar locking horns with two-time Congress MLA Basavraj Patil.

Traditionally a Shiv Sena seat, the BJP convinced its ally to part with the segment and gave nomination to Pawar, Fadnavis's former personal assistant (PA).

Overnight, Ausa became one of the most talked about Assembly seats of this election and Fadnavis's shadow looms large over the constituency given that he handpicked his close aide Pawar as the BJP candidate.

However, Pawar is unlikely to have a cakewalk as he is pitted against a strong candidate, sitting Congress MLA Patil, who had not only won in the 2009 assembly election, but managed to sail through in 2014 when ..