The polling for Bandra (East) by-election, which is being seen as senior Congress leader Narayan Rane’s battle for political survival, passed off without any untoward incident on Saturday, with 42 per cent of 2.65 lakh voters exercising their franchise.
In another bypoll held simultaneously to Tasgaon-Kavthe Mahankal Assembly constituency in Sangli district of Western Maharashtra, 58 per cent of the total electorate turned out to vote.
The bypolls to Bandra (East) and Tasagaon-Kavathe Mahankal Assembly constituencies were necessitated by the the passing away of Maharashtra’s former Deputy Chief Minister RR Patil of the NCP and Prakash Bala Sawant of the Shiv Sena respectively.
In the normal course, it would have been a direct contest between Rane and the Sena nominee Trupti Sawant, widow of late sitting party MlA Bala Sawant. However, the presence of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) candidate Rahbar Khan in the fray has rendered the contest fierce.
Rane, who suffered a humiliating defeat in Kudal constituency of Sindhudirg district in the October 2014 Assembly polls, has made it a prestige issue to wrest the Bandra (East) from the Sena.
Similarly, the Shiv Sena does not want to lose out the seat to Rane, who incidentally was himself a Sena leader before he quit the party and joined the Congress in 2005. The importance of this Bandra (east) seat should be seen in the light of the fact Kalanagar — where Thackerays live — falls this Assembly constituency.
Though the voter turnout in the Bandra (east) by-poll was relatively low (42 per cent as against 47 per cent of votes polled in the last year’s general elections), there was considerable activity in the constituency.
Rane’s two sons — former MP Nilesh Rane and MlA Nitesh Rane — were detained by the police after the voting began this morning for allegedly violating the model code of conduct for the polls. While Nilesh was detained at Kherwadi, Nitesh came to detained at Vakola. Both were released after the polling ended in the evening.
Meanwhile, intense polling was reported from Tasagaon-Kavathe Mahankal Assembly constituency, where the NCP has fielded Suman Patil, wife of late home minister R R Patil, as its candidate.
Though reports from Sangli had pegged the polling in Tasagaon-Kavathe Mahankal Assembly constituency at 40.41 per cent at 4 pm , polling picked up markedly afterwards. By-poll Returning Officer Hemant Nikam said later in the evening that the final poll percentage was 58.
Counting of votes will take place in both the constituencies on April 15.