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Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Shiv Sena-UBT Leader Vishal Barbate Accuses Congress Of Backing Rebel Candidate Rajendra Mulak In Ramtek Poll Battle

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Nagpur: In probably the first instance in the ensuing assembly election, a Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate has openly accused the Congress of breaching the Maha Vikas Aghadis (MVA) coalition pact by supporting a rebel candidate.

In the midst of a hectic campaign, Vishal Barbate, the official nominee of Uddhav’s Sena in the Ramtek assembly constituency has alleged that rebel Congress candidate Rajendra Mulak, who is contesting as an independent after being expelled for six years, is being supported by the local Congress leaders. Mulak, who defied the party to contest the seat that was allocated to Shiv Sena (UBT), is seen as a strong contender as Congress MP from Ramtek, Shyam Kumar Barve, and Saoner sitting Congress MLA Sunil Kedar are campaigning for him owing to his clout in Nagpur rural.

This is the first time that the Congress symbol will be missing from the election scene here. The party had to bow down before an adamant Shiv Sena (UBT) and concede in the seat-sharing talks. Though on the face of it, it may look like a straight fight between Barbate and Shiv Sena (Shinde)s Ashish Jaiswal, what has queered the pitch is Mulak’s presence.

Who Is Rajendra Mulak?

Mulak is a protégé of exchief minister Prithviraj Chavan and also related to him. He comes from a prominent Congress family – his father Bhau Mulak was an MLA and minister in the 1970s, holding the finance and energy portfolios. A dynamic and committed Congress leader, Rajendra Mulak earlier used to contest from Umred, which after the 2009 delimitation was reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates and so out of bounds as he is a Kunbi Maratha. Since then, he has been working for the party organisation, especially Nagpur district rural which has six assembly seats of Umred, Kamptee, Saoner, Hingna, Ramtek, and Katol.

Who Is Vishal Barbate?

Vishal Barbate is a debutant who has a major car dealership in Nagpur city. He is facing an uphill task taking on Shinde candidate Jaiswal, who has an enviable electoral track record winning the seat for three consecutive terms in 1999, 2004, and 2009. He lost the seat in 2014 to Mallikarjun Reddy but then again won it in 2019 as an independent when the undivided Sena denied him a ticket.

About Ramtek Constituency

Ramtek constituency is one of the 12 assembly constituencies in Nagpur district, six of them rural and six urban. It’s a pilgrim centre known for the ancient Ram temple, Gad Mandir, atop a hill. It was here that Mahakavi Kalidasa – invited by the Vakataka King of Vidarbha around 400AD – penned his magnum opus Meghadootam on being captivated by the beauty of this place. Politically, Ramtek was once known as the safe haven for Congress. It achieved importance when former Prime Minister, the late PV Narasimha Rao, contested from here once.

Maharashtra

Mumbai: 268 Malabar Hill Citizens Above 85 Years Old Cast Vote From Home For Maharashtra Assembly Election

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Mumbai: The Election Commission of India has begun the vote-from-home facility across Maharashtra for the ensuing state assembly elections. The facility can be availed by citizens who have submitted the 12D form. In Mumbai’s high-profile Malabar Hill assembly, so far, 268 senior citizens who are more than 85-years old and 10 disabled voters have cast their vote, the EC’s Mumbai office informed.

The vote-from-home facility will be available till November 16. The voting for the 288 assemblies in Maharashtra will be held on Wednesday, November 20 and results will be declared on November 23.

The Election Commission of India launched the initiative to not only increase the voting percentage but also allow senior citizens and disabled persons to participate in the festival of democracy, who are not able to present at the polling stations. In ten constituencies of Mumbai city district, there are a total of 2,137 senior citizen voters above 85 years of age and 219 disabled voters.

Malabar Hill is one of the constituencies in Maharashtra which has a lover voter turnout. Before announcing the schedule for the assembly polls, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has expressed concern over urban apathy of voters, including areas like Colaba in south Mumbai. The commission recently also held a special initiative for citizens of Colaba to encourage them to excersie their right to vote.

The election commission this time has decided to instal polling boths in residential high-rises for the convenience of the citizens. This will help to increase the voter turnout. This assembly elections, 1,185 polling stations will be installed in residential high-rises and complexes.

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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Elections 2024: Mumbai Metro & BEST Services Extended Till Midnight On Voting Day

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Mumbai: To facilitate the election staff to reach their destinations on time and allow the smooth conduct of Maharashtra assembly elections, the public transport services in Mumbai, including the Metro and BEST bus services have been extended till midnight on the day of voting. The polling will be held on Wednesday, November 20. The commission has already declared a mandatory public holiday in Mumbai on the polling day.

The directives were issued by Brihanmumbai Municipal Commissioner and Chief Electoral officer for Mumbai, Bhushan Gagrani after the Returning Officer had requested to extend the timings for public transport on the polling day to facilitate the election staff.

Gadrani has directed the MMRCL, Reliance Metro, and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) to extend their public transport services on poll day i.e. November 20, 2024. The directive mandates that the extended transport services will commence at 4:00 AM on November 20 and continue until 1:00 AM the following day, a press statement released by the EC says.

This decision aims to facilitate the timely and efficient attendance of election staff, who are required to report early to polling stations to carry out essential duties. The extended operation hours will also benefit voters and general commuters, ensuring uninterrupted travel across the city throughout the day, thereby increasing voter turnout.

Citizens and election staff are urged to plan their travel accordingly and take advantage of these extended public transport services. Further, Divyang and 85+ citizens can benefit from the low-floor deck of AC buses arranged for them, the statement released by EC adds.

The election commission has urged the citizens to stay informed and check for any updates related to polling day travel schedules.

Meanwhile, the commission has already directed a mandatory public holiday for all government and private sectors, including commercial establishments and traders. The objective is to allow the citizens to cast their votes. If a paid holiday is not granted, strict actions under the relevant sections will be taken by the Election Commission of India.

However, in exceptional circumstances where it is not possible to grant full day leave, employees can be given relaxation of at least four hours.

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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Elections 2024: ‘Constitution Seems Blank To PM Modi Because He’s Never Read It,’ Says Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi Fires Back At Prime Minister

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Nandurbar (Maharashtra): Hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his attack on Rahul Gandhi for flaunting a ‘blank constitution’, the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition said the Constitution seems blank to the Prime Minister because he has never read it in his life.

Addressing a public gathering in poll-bound Maharashtra today, Rahul said that the Prime Minister says that I show the Constitution in public meetings that is empty.

“Sanvidhan unke liye khali hai kyuki unhone ise zindagi mein pada nahi hai (The Constitution seems empty to him because he’s never read it in his life),” Rahul Gandhi said in a public gathering in poll-bound Maharashtra’s Nandurbar.

Attacking the Prime Minister further, the Congress leader said that the Constitution is not blank, but carries thoughts and ideas of thousand years.

“He has no idea what’s written inside this book; that’s why he says it’s empty. He says Rahul Gandhi shows a red book. It doesn’t matter to us what colour the book is; what matters is what’s written inside it. We are ready to give our lives for what it represents,” Rahul Gandhi said.

“I want to explain to the Prime Minister that this Constitution is not hollow. It is filled with thousands of years of thought. When you call it hollow, you disrespect Birsa Munda, Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar, and others. This fight is about protecting it,” he added.

PM Modi’s Remarks

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi attacked Rahul Gandhi saying the “Laal Kitab” of the Constitution which the Congress was flaunting contained “nothing”.

“In ‘farziwada’, Congress has broken its own record. The ‘Laal Kitab’ of the Constitution which the Congress party was flaunting and distributing contained ‘nothing’. It was an empty book. This is nothing but a testament to Congress’ disregard and hate for Baba Saheb Ambedkar. The entire country is in shock over this foolish and unfortunate political play of Congress,” PM Modi said.

Rahul Gandhi Slams BJP Over Tribal Population

Further in his address, the Lok Sabha LoP slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party over tribal population, and alleged that the Prime Minister and the BJP-RSS call indigenous people “Vanvasi” (forest dwellers) and carry out deforestation across the country.

“Congress introduced the Land Acquisition Bill to protect your land. The Tribal Rights Act granted you rights to the forest, land, and water. But as soon as the BJP government comes to power, they take your land and hand it over to billionaires. The term “Vanvasi” implies that your children should not become doctors or engineers, should not get jobs, and should not do business. “Adivasi,” on the other hand, means that your children can achieve anything. That is the difference between “Adivasi” and “Vanvasi,” Rahul said.

He further pointed out that in India, the Adivasi population is eight per cent, and their participation should match this percentage.

“I investigated the representation of Adivasis in the Indian government. There are 90 officials who run the government. If the government spends 100 rupees, how many Adivasi officials make decisions about it? Adivasi officials make decisions over just 10 paise of that amount. Out of 90, there is only one Adivasi official, who is side-lined. We need to change this, and the way to do it is through a caste census,” the Congress leader said.

The Lok Sabha LoP asserted that the Congress party has decided that as much money the Prime Minister waives off for billionaires, they will give to the common people.

Congress Leader On The Guarantees Promised

Highlighting his guarantees, the Congress MP said that under the Mahalaxmi Yojana, on the first day of every month, women will receive Rs 3,000 directly in their accounts.

“After that, we will provide free bus travel for women. Farmers will have up to three lakh rupees of debt waived. When farmers sell paddy, cotton, or soybeans, our government will provide MSP (Minimum Support Price). We will conduct the caste census,” Rahul Gandhi said.

“In Maharashtra, everyone will be provided with health insurance up to 25 lakh rupees. For any illness, you can go to the hospital and get treatment up to 25 lakh rupees free of charge. Unemployed youth will receive 4,000 rupees per month until they secure employment,” he added.

Congress Leader On Jobs

The Congress leader also alleged that the BJP has moved 5 lakh jobs from Maharashtra to other states.

“If we look at employment collectively, BJP has moved 5 lakh jobs from Maharashtra to other states. The INDIA bloc government will not do this. The projects of Maharashtra will remain here. We do not want projects from here to be shifted to other states, forcing Adivasis here to work as labourers there,” Rahul added.

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024

The campaigning has intensified for the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra with both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) making efforts to woo the electorate.

The polls are scheduled for November 20 and counting will be held on November 23.

In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena secured 56, and Congress 44. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, MVA posed a strong performance winning 30 of 48 seats, while the Mahayuti could only win 17.

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