The constituency has been known as a Congress bastion for several decades which the BJP hopes to change this time. BJP's candidate is Atul Bhosle, who is not a novice in the constituency. Bhosle, whose family runs a sugar factory as a medical college, has contested twice against Chavan since 2014. While Bhosle lost both times, the BJP and Bhosle have been taking confidence from Chavan's declining winning margins and Bhosle's improved performance.