A delegation of supporters of Ahmednagar MP Dr Sujay Vikhe-Patil, who is being fielded again as the Mahayuti’s candidate from the constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, met the district collector and sought police protection for the BJP leader after an audio clip threatening to shoot him began doing the rounds. In their memorandum submitted to the district collector, the BJP delegation claimed that the threat came in the wake of the huge support that Vikhe-Patil enjoyed in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. It also expressed concern over a particular incident where some supporters used language which indicated a threat to shoot the MP. Ahmednagar District Collector S Salimath told The Indian Express that the delegation had met him and considering the seriousness of the matter he advised the Superintendent of Police (SP) to take the required action. It may be recalled that Nilesh Lanke, who quit as Parner MLA and left the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to join the NCP-Sharad Pawar group, is contesting for the Opposition’s Maha Vikas Aghadhi (MVA) from Ahmednagar. However, even before both candidates filed their nominations, rallies have been taken out and door-to-door meetings held in efforts to display a show of strength. Vikhe-Patil's supporters have claimed that MVA supporters deliberately started threatening voters due to the spontaneous response that the Mahayuti candidate was getting from citizens. The memorandum claimed that an audio clip that used such threatening language had already made the rounds. In the clip, a supporter from Parner tehsil in Ahmednagar was asked why they were enthusiastic about Vikhe-Patil when it was Nilesh Lanke who had completed a majority of the works in Parner. “Who is Vikhe-Patil? Shoot him,” the person is heard saying. Vikhe-Patil's supporters have sought a detailed inquiry into the matter. Ahmednagar SP Rakesh Ola told The Indian Express that the BJP workers submitted a memorandum and evidence in connection with the audio clip. “We will look into the matter,” he said. Meanwhile, at a huge rally in Navi Mumbai on Sunday evening, Vikhe-Patil referred to the threats without taking names, and said it would not stop him from winning the Lok Sabha election. He expressed gratitude to the organisers in Navi Mumbai, who originally hail from Ahmednagar, for the huge support for the rally. The BJP MP added that they would have an even larger victory rally on June 4, the counting day, when he claimed he would return as MP.
