Ministers and Leaders Make Final Push in Maharashtra Civic Polls
Guardian ministers and local politicians from both the Mahayuti and MVA blocs took to the streets on Tuesday. They made a final bid to reach voters on the last day of campaigning for municipal elections across several cities in Maharashtra.
Solapur Sees Intense Campaigning Efforts
In Solapur, guardian minister Jaykumar Gore canvassed multiple wards for the BJP. All local MLAs were deployed in the wards to connect with voters directly. The Congress campaign in Solapur was led by MP Praniti Shinde.
"I am confident that Congress will win the Solapur Municipal Corporation election, which we lost in 2017," said Shinde at a rally. "The voters are angry with the BJP, which kept changing goalposts, and we ensured development was the focus."
Sangli District Witnesses Promises and Criticisms
In Sangli district's Miraj, guardian minister Chandrakant Patil campaigned for BJP and Jansurajya Shakti Party candidates. He assured voters of big-ticket projects for Sangli and Miraj. Local NCP politicians focused their efforts on Miraj and Kupwad, where most of the party's candidates are contesting.
On the other hand, NCP(SP) politician Jayant Patil, Congress MLA Vishwajeet Kadam, and an independent MP held padyatras across various wards in Sangli city. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised in his 2014 election speech, ‘Sangli Karu Changli'—will make Sangli a good one—however, the local leaders failed to accomplish the promise, and therefore they need to be kept out of power," said Patil.
Ichalkaranji Campaign and Security Measures
In Ichalkaranji, the MVA-led panel was mostly leaderless during the campaign. Congress MLC Satej Patil filled in for some time. Chief minister Fadnavis held a roadshow in the textile town, which is going to the polls for the first time as a municipal corporation.
Municipal commissioner Pallavi Patil provided details on the election arrangements. "The voting and counting processes were completed," she said. "There will be 302 polling booths. We identified 74 booths as sensitive, where the chances of alluring voters may be high. We deployed 600 police officers and personnel to stop any untoward incident."
The final day of campaigning saw a flurry of activity as leaders from all parties made their last appeals to voters ahead of the municipal elections.
