Violence and chaos marred the civic body elections in Maharashtra's Beed district on Tuesday, with multiple clashes reported between political party workers. The incidents, involving stone-pelting, vandalism, and confrontations, led to a temporary disruption of the polling process and necessitated emergency police intervention.
Major Clash in Gevrai Near BJP Leader's Residence
The most significant confrontation erupted in Gevrai, outside the residence of former BJP MLA Laxmanrao Pawar. Workers from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) clashed violently. Supporters engaged in stone-pelting and vandalized several vehicles, creating panic in the area while voting was underway.
The situation intensified when prominent local political figures confronted each other. Jaysingh Pandit, the elder brother of NCP MLA Vijaysinh Pandit, and Yuddhajit Pandit, son of former minister Badamrao Pandit, came face-to-face with BJP workers supporting Laxmanrao Pawar. This drew a large crowd and forced authorities to deploy additional police forces immediately.
Police Action and City Tensions
To disperse the mobs and restore order, the police had to resort to a lathi-charge at several spots. Superintendent of Police Navneet Kanwat confirmed the strong-arm tactic was necessary to control the volatile situation. Separately, in the Shahu Nagar area of Beed city, another incident of stone-pelting broke out. This clash was between supporters of the two rival NCP factions—one led by Ajit Pawar and the other by Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP). The police stated the exact cause of this clash remains unclear.
Heavy police bandobast (security arrangements) was enforced across sensitive pockets of both Gevrai and Beed city following the outbreaks. Authorities are also reviewing CCTV footage to identify individuals involved in the stone-pelting and vandalism acts.
FIRs Registered and Preventive Measures
The police have registered multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) in connection with the day's violence. One FIR for rioting and unlawful assembly has been filed in Gevrai. A second FIR was registered in Majalgaon related to violence triggered by the alleged distribution of money to influence voters. A third FIR was lodged in Beed city on Tuesday night.
Superintendent Kanwat told TOI that stringent preventive action would be initiated against those involved. This includes invoking the stringent Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities (MPDA) act and externment orders to prevent further election-related violence.
Incidents in Neighboring Parbhani District
Poll-related tensions spilled over to the neighboring Parbhani district as well, where two separate incidents were reported. In Jintur tehsil, an elderly candidate was allegedly assaulted by supporters of a rival candidate. In Sonpeth tehsil, former and sitting MLAs along with their supporters faced off at a polling booth, creating temporary tension. No FIRs had been registered in these Parbhani cases until late Tuesday night.
