In a development that landed Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in fresh trouble, the Election Commission (EC) sought a report from the Pune district administration on a purported video clip where Pawar was allegedly heard handing a threat to some villagers that he would “cut off” their water supply if they did not vote for his cousin and NCP candidate from Baramati, Supriya Sule.
On a day when the Deputy CM dubbed the video that purportedly carried his voice was “doctored” one and NCP chief Sharad Pawar came to his nephew Ajit Pawar’s defence, denying that his nephew had not handed any such threat to villagers, the EC took cognisance of news reports about the purposed video clip and directed Pune District collector Saurab Rao to submit a report on the issue.
In the purported video clip, Ajitdada — as Ajit Pawar is known in the State political circles — is allegedly heard telling a group of people from Masalwadi village on the evening of April 16: “Tomorrow there will be voting. If anybody from this village creates any trouble does not vote for Supriya), I will end the water (supply) to the village. My sister gets lots of votes from all of Baramati, so votes from your village won’t change anything”.
Based on the video clip, Sule’s rival and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from Baramati Suresh Khopade, a former IPS officer, had on Thursday lodged a complaint with the Returning Officer and Vadgaon police station.
The faces in the purported video clip, in which Ajitdada is allegedly addressing a group of Masalwadi village on the eve of Thursday’s polling (in Baramati lok Sabha constituency where Supriya Sule is seeking re-election), are not visible it is shot in dark. Masalwadi is one of the 22 drought-affected villages in Baramati lS constituency.
The person with a voice resembling that of Ajitdada tells the villagers, tells the villagers in the purported video clip: “I can get to know from the voting (EVM) machine which village has voted for whom...I was the one who bought water to the village after lot of efforts and if you don’t vote for us I will stop water supply to the village.”
In the video clip — apparently shot on a mobile phone, Pawar is also allegedly telling his bodyguard to get hold of the villager who chooses to argue with him and demands to know from him as to the date by when he would solve the drinking water problem in the area. Hearing Ajitdada’s instructions to his associates, the villager concerned pleads the deputy CM “Sorry, Dada! sorry, Dada”.
“As soon I came to know of the incident and got hold of the video clip, I lodged a complaint with the Vadgaon police station and election authorities. Handing such threats to voters is a violation of the model code of conduct and the People’s Representation Act. I have also sought action against Ajit Pawar for cognizable offence for criminal intimidation and threatening voters,” AAP candidate Khopade told The Pioneer on Friday evening.
Section 171 (1) of the IPC pertains states “whoever voluntarily interferes or attempts to interfere with the free exercise of any electoral right commits the offence of undue influence at an election. The sub-section (2) of the provisions pertains to threatening candidates or voters.
Ajitdada,however, told media, “The voice in the video clip is not mine. An effort is being made to defame me”. According to informed official sources, Pune Collector Saurabh Rao will now examine the authenticity of the video clip before submitting a report to the EC. Reacting to the “in-circulation” video clip,The deputy chief minister said that he would file a defamation case against AAP candidate Suresh Khopade in connection with a complaint lodged by the latter with the police and election authorities.
The video clip controversay comes a year after Ajitdada had ridiculed a farmer-activist from Solapur Prabhakar Deshmukh, who was then sitting on a dharna at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai demanding water from Ujani dam for irrigation in his district, by wondering: “Who is this DeshmukhIJ What is the point of his uposhanIJ Will it yield waterIJ When there is no water where will I arrange water fromIJ Should I urinate (in the dam)IJ”.