Bureaucrat-turned-politician Siddharth Kharat wins Maharashtra assembly poll

Mumbai, Nov 23 (PTI) Bureaucrat-turned-politician Siddharth Kharat on Saturday won his maiden assembly election from Mehkar in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region, defeating a candidate of the Shiv Sena, headed by CM Eknath Shinde.

Kharat, who defeated Sanjay Raymulkar by 5,219 votes, was a joint secretary in the state government, when he took voluntary retirement from the post in July this year and joined the Shiv Sena (UBT) ahead of the assembly elections.

Kharat’s journey began in the remote village of Tadshivani, located in the Sindkhedaraja taluka of Buldhana district, and has taken him all the way to Mantralaya, the power house of Maharashtra.

Kharat has held various positions throughout his career, from a Section Officer in Mantralaya to Joint Secretary. He also served as Personal Assistant and Private Secretary to multiple ministers at both the state and Centre.

He moved out of the government after almost three decades of service and joined the Shiv Sena (UBT) in presence of Uddhav Thackeray.

“My connect with the masses, and voters who knew my sincerity helped me in my victory,” Kharat said. His wife Suvarna is a joint secretary in the state government.