Nitin Gadkari Votes In Nagpur Civic Polls, Confident Of Record BJP Win

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday cast his vote in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) elections, expressing confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would secure a record-breaking victory in municipal polls across Maharashtra.

Voting was underway for 29 municipal corporations in the state, including Nagpur. Gadkari, accompanied by his family, voted at the New English School in the Mahal area of the city, reported PTI.

Speaking to reporters, Gadkari highlighted the party’s previous successes in Nagpur, saying, "We have fought this election again on the basis of the work done by us, and we will certainly perform better, as we did in the last elections. We will certainly win with a record-breaking margin." He added that the people have elected the BJP thrice in the NMC polls, giving it the opportunity to work for development.

Gadkari also appealed to citizens to exercise their franchise, noting it as their fundamental right. Responding to queries about low voter turnout in the last NMC elections, he acknowledged issues with the voters’ list, saying it should be properly organised to ensure no one is excluded from voting. He expressed confidence that the Election Commission would take appropriate measures, PTI reported.

Addressing the alleged attack on BJP’s ward no. 11 candidate Bhushan Shingne on Wednesday night, Gadkari described the incident as unfortunate and said he planned to visit Shingne’s residence on Thursday. "I feel it is a very unfortunate incident that could have been avoided, and (I am confident) the police will take strict action against the perpetrators. According to available information, there was an attempt to kill him, which is extremely wrong," he said.

According to BJP city chief Dayashankar Tiwari, Shingne went to Gorewada on Wednesday after learning that anti-social elements were attempting to disrupt the atmosphere and distribute money. Upon reaching the location, he was allegedly attacked by a group of over 100 people and sustained injuries.

PTI reported that a case has been filed against one person, while others involved are yet to be identified, according to a senior police official.

(With inputs from PTI)