Polling on in Khadakwasla by-election
October 13th, 2011 - 1:16 pm ICT by IANS
Pune, Oct 13 (IANS) Polling began amidst tight security for the Khadakwasla assembly constituency in this Maharashtra town Thursday morning under the shadow of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption and anti-Congress crusade.
The election, necessitated by the death of the popular Maharashtra Navnirman Sena legislator Ramesh Wanjale, is being contested by two main candidates - his widow Harshada of the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) combine and the united opposition candidate Bhimrao Tapkir.
MNS decided against putting up any candidate as a tribute to Wanjale’s memory.
Both the sides have not spared any efforts to get their candidate elected, with top leaders aggressively campaigning for the elections.
The electorate queued up enthusiastically outside the 376 polling stations across the constituency, comprising 30 percent rural and 70 percent urban population.
Around 70 polling stations have been identified as ’sensitive’ and additional security forces have been deployed as a precaution.
While the Congress-NCP hope that its candidate Harshada Wanjale will benefit from her husband’s sympathy wave, the opposition is expecting a fall-out of Hazare’s crusade on the election outcome.
Taking a cue, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and its deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde said Hazare has appealed to the people of Hisar in Haryana - which is also holding a by-poll Thursday - not to vote for the Congress.
Likewise, Munde urged the people of Khadakwasla to reject the Congress-NCP and vote for the combined opposition candidate.
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- Widow of MNS legislator joins NCP - Sep 22, 2011
- With four-zero score, electoral nought for Congress (Roundup) - Oct 17, 2011
- Hisar turnout over 70 percent, all by-polls peaceful (Roundup) - Oct 13, 2011
- By-poll results Monday; all eyes on Hisar amid Hazare's 'maun vrat' - Oct 16, 2011
- Thackeray blasts Team Anna - Nov 07, 2011
- 75 percent voting in Goa (Fourth Lead) - Mar 03, 2012
- Congress keeping Goa illegal mining report under wraps: Munde - Feb 26, 2012
- Congress, NCP score well in five civic bodies' polls - Apr 16, 2012
- Shiv Sena-BJP-RPI triumphs in Mumbai, Thane civic polls; MNS gains (Intro Roundup) - Feb 17, 2012
- Sena-BJP combine triumph in Mumbai, Thane civic polls, MNS gains (Lead) - Feb 17, 2012
- Goa skips siesta to vote, as high as 80 percent (Evening Lead) - Mar 03, 2012
- Goa results will go the way of Mumbai civic poll: BJP - Feb 18, 2012
Tags: additional security, anna hazare, congress ncp, constituency, deputy leader, election outcome, electorate, gopinath munde, haryana, hisar, Lok Sabha, maharashtra, mns, nationalist congress party, opposition candidate, party leader, polling stations, tight security, united opposition, urban population