Political Unrest: Chaotic Race for Civic Poll Tickets in Maharashtra

Intense competition among ticket aspirants in Maharashtra's upcoming civic polls led to extreme measures, including theft and deception, to secure party nominations. Notable incidents involved the destruction and alleged theft of nomination forms, raising questions about candidate conduct and highlighting political tensions at a grassroots level.

In the dense weave of grassroots political strategies, the race for civic poll nominations in Maharashtra took a chaotic turn. Aspirants vying for tickets resorted to extreme measures, revealing the cutthroat nature of local politics.

Among the highlights, Uddhav Kamble of the Shiv Sena captured headlines after allegedly tearing and swallowing nomination documents of a rival party member in Pune. In Mumbai, Shilpa Datta Keluskar, initially a nominee for the BJP, surprised party officials by filing her nomination, leading to allegations of theft and a police complaint.

As the nomination deadline approached, tensions flared in Nashik with BJP activists allegedly pursuing documents by force and digging into past remarks to discredit opponents. A last-minute scramble in Nagpur saw supporters locking a candidate at home to prevent withdrawal. The elections for 29 civic corporations are scheduled for January 15, with voting results expected the following day.

(With inputs from agencies.)