Elections in 12 ZPs, 125 panchayat samitis: Polling largely peaceful, incidents of unrest brought under control

Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi said, “The voting per centage in Pune district by 3.30 pm was 51 per cent. The overall per centage is around 68 per cent.”

Dudi said polling was peaceful and there were no complaints of bogus voting or failure of EVMs. “Since voting continued beyond 5.30 pm, the availability of final voting per centage was also delayed,” he said.

As per the provisional report of Pune district election officials, Velha-Rajgad taluka recorded the highest poll per centage of 79%, followed by Maval 77.43%, Khed 75.46%, Shirur 75.59%, Ambegaon 65.30%, Purandar 68.37%, Mulshi 63.79%, Bhor 75.62%, Bhor 75.62%, and Indapur 65.57%. Baramati registered a low of 54.67%.

Satara district collector Santosh Patil told The Indian Express, “Polling in Satara district till 3.30 pm was around 51.02%. By 5.30 pm, the figure would go up to 70 per cent. At some places like Mahabaleshwar, the voting registered was 58% by 3.30 pm. At other talukas, it was 54%. Based on these figures, we expect the voting per centage to be between 65 to 70 per cent.”

Patil said that at a couple of places, EVMs faced problems and they were replaced quickly.
The polling was marred by verbal clashes between workers of different parties including BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP.

Tense moments were witnessed in Wadgaon Haveli area of Karad taluka (Satara district) following allegations of bogus voting. BJP and NCP workers indulged in a verbal duel, causing tension in the polling station area. Police intervened and defused the situation.

In Parbhani district too, tense moments were witnessed in Ranisavaragaon as a voter, a spiritual seer, alleged that he was stopped from casting his vote. He alleged that election officials were dancing to the tune of BJP. Though the police intervened, he walked away without casting his vote.

Shiv Sena MLA Vilas Bhumare took his son along with him to cast vote and even applied ink to the index finger of his son, triggering a controversy. Later, Bhumare clarified, “My son is too young to understand what EVMs are all about. I just applied ink to his finger. I cast my vote,” he said.

An audio clip of a former Shiv Sena minister, which went viral in Dharashiv district, raised eyebrows. The audio clip contained conversations regarding distribution of money among voters.

In Roha taluka of Raigad district, Shraddha Kundale, a voter who exercised her franchise minutes before tying the knot with her husband, said, “Voting is not just a right but a step to strengthen democracy… All the voters should exercise their right to vote guaranteed by the Constitution.” In Saverde village of Sangli too, another woman, Sonali Mane, cast her vote before her marriage was solemnised on Saturday.

As many as 2,200 voters boycotted polling in Balgavde village of Sangli district to protest the move to fell around 15,000 trees for a solar energy project.

The Zilla Parishad polls, which are being held under the cloud of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s death in an air crash last month, are being seen as a litmus test for the NCP factions, which are contesting in an alliance in their strongholds in western Maharashtra.

On January 28, Ajit Pawar was heading to campaign for ZP polls in Baramati taluka when his plane crashed near the airport. He died in the plane crash along with four others. Following his death, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis decided not to campaign. Similarly, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde too made the similar announcement. After Ajit Pawar’s death, the ZP election campaign lost its sting as most top leaders stayed away, leaving it to local leaders.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, NCP (SP) leaders Jayant Patil and Rohit Pawar were among the early voters as polling commenced at 7:30 a.m.

Sunetra Pawar cast her vote along with her elder son, Parth Pawar, at a primary school in Katewadi village in Baramati. She appealed to citizens across the state to actively participate in the crucial democratic process for a brighter future. Rohit Pawar appealed to voters to ensure the victory of candidates fielded by Ajit Pawar and his party as a tribute to him.

The zilla Parishads of Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Parbhani, Dharashiv, and Latur, as well as the panchayat samitis under their jurisdiction, are voting to elect their representatives.

The counting of votes will begin at 10 am on February 9, after which the model code of conduct will be lifted.

The elections, originally scheduled for February 5, were postponed following the death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in an air crash on January 28 and the subsequent declaration of three days of state mourning.

NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar urged citizens to actively participate in the democratic process by exercising their right to vote.

Political observers believe the outcome will dictate if the two factions, now led by the late Ajit Pawar’s successors and patriarch Sharad Pawar, will eventually merge or not.

The two factions had set aside their bitter two-year rivalry to contest these local body polls in an informal alliance in Pune, Satara, Solapur and Sangli, where candidates from both sides are contesting under the original clock symbol.

While grassroots workers have hailed the local-level coordination as a “tribute to Ajit Dada”, the top leadership remains cautious.

A total of 2,624 candidates are contesting for 731 zilla parishad seats, of which 369 are reserved for women, 83 for Scheduled Castes, 25 for Scheduled Tribes and 191 for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Similarly, 4,814 candidates are contesting for 1,462 panchayat samiti seats, of which 731 are reserved for women, 166 for Scheduled Castes, 38 for Scheduled Tribes and 342 for the Other Backward Classes.