Nilesh Lanke, a former MLA contesting this Lok Sabha constituency on an NCP (SP) ticket, has been able to create a dent in the campaign of his opponent, the sitting BJP MP Sujay Vikhe Patil, but defeating his rival will not be an easy task.

Ahmednagar is part of Western Maharashtra, the agriculture and industrial belt of the state. The Vikhe Patils, one of the most influential families in the district, are renowned for having established Asia’s first cooperative sugar mill. Four generations of the family have been a part of the cooperative movement and have also been involved in the fields of medicine and education.