Hardly any election has been completely smooth without any dirty politics and blame games being played. This time in Maharashtra, the Sewri assembly constituency saw some high drama during the crucial parts of the election.
Bal Thackeray-led Shiv Sena alleged the Congress of assisting its arch rival, the Raj Thackeray-led MNS. It is a point worth noting that in the recent Lok Sabha polls too, the Sena had played the same game of accusing the MNS of helping the Congress. To add fuel to the Sena’s allegations, one could see the desolate scene in the Congress camp. At many places, Congress booths shut shop by as early as 2 pm, though a Congress leader from the area denied these charges.
In Sewri, two heavyweights – Sena’s Dagdu Sakpal and Bala Nandgaonkar of the MNS – with the Congress candidate Smita Chaudhari Dhruva, contested in a tough competition. No one is yet tipped to be the winner.
“Division of votes will help me win,” said Dhruva, while Sakpal said that he was confident of a third win this time.
Putting the dirty games aside, the Sewri voters turned out in good numbers to vote, unlike the lacklustre performance in the Lok Sabha polls. There were technical glitches in the EVMs in at least 3 booths, but the problem was rectified in less than half an hour.
