New Delhi: There was a melee at the polling booth in Maharashtra’s Yevla constituency on Wednesday when supporters and workers of Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party faction prevented NCP (Ajit Pawar) leader and candidate Chhagan Bhujbal from getting into the polling station.
Bhujbal is contesting the assembly polls from this constituency in Nashik, which houses one of the largest onion wholesale markets in India. But what made them block his entry and creating a ruckus? The NCP Sharad Pawar faction is peeved with Bhujbal for joining the rival group and switching his allegiance to the Mahayuti alliance, which has BJP, the Shiv Sena and the NCP (Ajit Pawar). A video of the incident has emerged. The workers can be heard alleging that Bhujbal was being allowed entry into the booth more than once.
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BIG ruckus in Yewala constituency where Chhagan Bhujbal is fighting .He was obstructed by Sharad Pawar led NCP SP workers from going in polling booth.
They argued how Bhujbal can visit the polling booth several times.#MaharashtraElection2024pic.twitter.com/teKTJAWej3
— Surbhi (@SurrbhiM) November 20, 2024
As he switched over to Mahayuti, Bhujbal had scotched claims that he did so as he wanted to avoid Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation against him for alleged money laundering.
It was in July 2023 that NCP leader Ajit Pawar, along with his loyalist MLAs split from the party and joined hands with the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena to become part of the Mahayuti government.
‘Everyone has one vote’
On Wednesday, Bhujbal emphasised the importance of voting rights in India, urging everyone to cast their vote in the Maharashtra assembly elections.
Chagan Bhujbal was quoted as saying by ANI, “Everyone has one vote… This one vote has the right to decide who will take care of the country and state.” He added: “Baba Saheb Ambedkar and other leaders have made us the owners of the country; voting was not the right of every person before that. The person who lives in slums and the one who lives in palaces have one vote. Everyone should vote.” Bhujbal claimed he has spent 20 years on Yevla’s development, with focus on water management and infrastructure.
In the Mahayuti alliance, the BJP is fighting on 149 seats, the Shiv Sena is contesting on 81 seats, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP has fielded candidates in 59 constituencies.
