Ending the suspense over her candidature, Kalavati Bandurkar, a victim of the farm crisis, on Tuesday withdrew her nomination for the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
She had been under pressure ever since her name was announced by Kishore Tiwari of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) as a candidate in Wani. She was also hospitalised.
Speaking to The Hindu on the phone, Mr. Tiwari said Ms. Kalavati was under pressure from the Congress and her own family. Her son-in-law was also unhappy about her contesting.Meanwhile, Sulabh International, which had promised her Rs. 30 lakh, reportedly threatened to stop its aid if she plunged into the poll arena. Mr. Tiwari said the VJAS would file a petition against the organisation before the Election Commission for influencing the candidate. The Congress and its general secretary Rahul Gandhi would also be mentioned in the petition.
However, another victim of the farm crisis Bebitai Bais, who had filed her papers along with Ms. Kalavati, was in the fray, Mr. Tiwari said.
