Despite a high-decibel campaign run by both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)-Shiv Sena (led by Eknath Shinde) and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the keenly-contested Kasba Peth and Chinchwad Assembly bypolls saw a lukewarm voter turnout on Sunday.
In the Kasba Peth segment in Old Pune, 45.25% voting was reported, while Chinchwad had recorded just 41.1% till 5 p.m., election officials said.
The byelections were necessitated following the demise of sitting BJP MLAs Mukta Tilak (Kasba Peth) and Laxman Jagtap (Chinchwad). The high-stakes polls are expected to impact the forthcoming elections in the State, particularly the crucial civic polls, including of the cash rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic bodies.
Top BJP brass as well as Chief Minister Eknath Shinde campaigned hard for their candidates while the MVA leaders, too, strained every sinew in the run-up to the polls — Deputy Chief Minister and BJP Devendra Fadnavis visited Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad for several days ahead of the polls, and the CM held a massive road show in support of the BJP’s candidates earlier this week.
On the MVA side, NCP’s Ajit Pawar, who is determined to wrest his ‘lost’ bastion of Chinchwad from the BJP, campaigned frenetically for the MVA’s candidate Nana Kate, who is pitted against the BJP’s Ashwini Jagtap (wife of the late Laxman Jagtap) in Chinchwad.
Even NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, who is usually not known to campaign for bypolls, threw his weight into it, while every significant MVA leader, including Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray of the Shiv Sena (UBT), and Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole, mounted intense campaigns to ensure the victory of their candidates.
According to analysts, the Kasba Peth seat, in which the BJP’s Hemant Rasane is pitted against the Congress’ (MVA’s) Ravindra Dhangekar, is likely to be especially close as both candidates are said to be evenly matched.
There are 510 polling centres and 5,68,954 registered voters in Chinchwad and 215 polling centres and 2,75,428 registered voters in Kasba constituency.
According to sources, the polling was marred by a few minor clashes: In Chinchwad, a scuffle arose between supporters of Shiv Sena (UBT) rebel candidate Rahul Kalate and the BJP outside a polling station in Chinchwad. Likewise, in Kasba Peth, Congress supporters accused local BJP leader Ganesh Bidkar of distributing cash and allegedly assaulting a Congress activist.
The MVA is riding high after its success in the recently concluded polls to five Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) seats, where Mr. Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the BJP could manage to win just one while the MVA scored three seats, breaching BJP bastions in Nagpur and Amravati.
However, in the Assembly bypolls, the MVA could face problems owing to the triangular fight because “rebel” Thackeray faction leader, Rahul Kalate, is contesting in them.
Likewise, in Kasba Peth, the BJP may face problems as the party denied a ticket to a kin of Mukta Tilak’s family.
