Tasgaon-Kavathemahankal in Sangli district in western Maharashtra and Bandra East in suburban Mumbai recorded modest polling of 58 and 42 per cent respectively, election officials said on Saturday.
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray with wife Rashmi and son Aaditya voted at the polling booth near his Kala Nagar residence in Bandra East, where the Sena and Congress are locked in a prestige battle as the constituency houses the Thackeray family.
Congress leader Narayan Rane, formerly with the Shiv Sena, is contesting for his political survival, and Shiv Sena has pulled all stops to ensure that Trupti Sawant, the widow of its sitting MLA Prakash Sawant, wins the battle. However, Hyderabad-based AIMIM candidate Rehbar Khan ability to split the nearly 20 per cent Muslim vote in the constituency holds the key to the election.
As voters queued up to cast their votes on Saturday morning, the Mumbai police detained Mr. Rane’s sons Nilesh and Nitesh in separate incidents while moving around the constituency. Angry at their detention, Mr. Rane accused the Sena, which is part of the ruling coalition with the BJP in the State, of misusing the official machinery.
“Ten Shiv Sena Ministers are moving around with the supporters, but police are not stopping them. This is blatant misuse of power as Sena knows that they are losing this election. If my sons are not allowed to move around, then I will ensure that Sena Ministers and MLAs are also not allowed to go around,” Mr. Rane told reporters. Mr. Rane lodged a complaint with Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria. The police then also briefly detained Mr. Rane’s arch-rival and Sena MLA Vinayak Raut at BKC police station and AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan.
NCP leader R.R. Patil’s widow Suman Patil is the overwhelming favourite to win the Tasgaon-Kavathemahankal bypoll.
The counting of votes for both seats is scheduled for April 15, 2015.
