High-Stakes Sarpanch Showdown in Beed District

With three candidates withdrawing their nominations, the Massajog Sarpanch polls in Beed district are now a direct contest between Ashwini Deshmukh, widow of murder victim Santosh Deshmukh, and Swarupanand Deshmukh, who narrowly lost the last election. The polls are on April 28, with the results the following day.

The race for Massajog Sarpanch in Maharashtra's Beed district has escalated into an intense two-person battle following the withdrawal of three candidates.

Ashwini Deshmukh, widow of the late Santosh Deshmukh, now stands against Swarupanand Deshmukh, who had a close call in the previous election, losing by only nine votes. The election is set for April 28, and the results will be announced one day later.

In December 2024, Santosh Deshmukh was murdered while preventing an extortion attempt on a windmill project by a renewable energy firm. His death led to national outrage, intensified by the emerging torture videos. Officials arrested several suspects, including the key accused, Walmik Karad, leading NCP MLA Dhananjay Munde to resign amid mounting opposition pressures.

(With inputs from agencies.)