Allegations of Voter Intimidation Stir Beed Civic Polls

Nationalist Congress Party's Amar Naikwade accused MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar of pressuring voters to skip Beed's civic elections. Naikwade raised concerns about fear among voters, prompting NCP MLA Vijaysinh Pandit to call for robust voter turnout. Kshirsagar dismissed the accusations as baseless and driven by frustration.

Tensions are mounting in Beed as the civic polls approach, with accusations of voter intimidation bringing the contest into the spotlight. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Amar Naikwade has leveled serious charges against local MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar, alleging that the latter attempted to coerce constituents into abstaining from voting on December 20.

Naikwade, a seasoned councillor vying from Prabhag No 3(B), claimed that Kshirsagar summoned locals to Umakiran, urging them to be absent on election day, which has allegedly sown seeds of fear among them. Poll authorities and local police have been called upon to take decisive action to safeguard the democratic process.

Reacting to the controversy, Georai NCP MLA Vijaysinh Pandit criticized Kshirsagar's alleged tactics, calling citizens to vote in substantial numbers to counter any such undemocratic maneuvers. Meanwhile, Kshirsagar has unequivocally dismissed the accusations, attributing them to political frustration.

(With inputs from agencies.)