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Ajit Pawar cancels rally in Purandar, raising questions regarding party support
This year, the Purandar constituency will witness a triangular contest between candidates from the Mahayuti alliance
The suspense surrounding the official candidate for the Mahayuti alliance in the Purandar constituency continues, particularly after deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar cancelled the scheduled campaign rally for their party candidate, Sambhaji Zende, on Sunday. On Sunday, Pawar attended a rally for his party candidate Shankar Mandekar in Ghotawde, Mulshi.
He was to address another Purandar constituency for Zende at 4.30 in the evening at Bhokrai Nagar, Phursungi. However, after the campaign rally at Mulshi, the rally at Phursungi was cancelled at the last moment, stating that Pawar had to go to meet BJP Leader Amit Shah in Mumbai.
This year, the Purandar constituency will witness a triangular contest between candidates from the Mahayuti alliance. Sambhaji Zende from the NCP will face former MLA Vijay Shivtare, who is representing the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction). The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has fielded sitting Congress legislator Sanjay Jagtap in an attempt for him to secure a second consecutive term in the state legislative assembly.
The absence of rallies from senior leaders of the Mahayuti alliance has left voters confused about who the official candidate is from Purandar. Both Zende and Shivtare are claiming to be the rightful candidate for the Mahayuti alliance, contributing to voter uncertainty. Moreover, the BJP has not yet officially declared its support for either of the Mahayuti candidates.
Vijay Shivatre said he is the official candidate of the Mahayuti alliance and will win with the support of the voters.
“The BJP has declared their stand and BJP officer bearers from Delhi and Maharashtra had visited Purandar and declared me as official candidate. This weekend for my campaign, Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde and DCM, Devendra Fadnavis will hold campaign rallies for me,” he said.
