BJP wants CCTV vigil on Baramati polling booths

Saffron party alleges staff at these booths in 10 villages of the constituency are drawn from institutions run by NCP leaders; they also demand that Sharad Pawar stay out of his party’s bastion on voting day

Sometime ago, their party president declared his ambition of capturing this one constituency in the state. Now, the district unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has approached the district election authority on Monday, seeking the installation of closedcircuit television (CCTV) cameras inside polling booths of 10 villages in Baramati constituency.

The contention is that around 80 per cent of the votes in these places go in favour of a particular party, despite it allegedly not having a great following there. What’s more, this is being blamed on the booths being manned by staff of education institutions run by the leaders of the outfit that the ruling party has ‘accused’ — the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Local BJP leaders Prashant Satav, Asif Khan and Vikram Deshmukh have articulated that the people deployed at these booths are more likely help NCP candidates during the polls. They listed out Pandare, Malegaon, Niravagaj, Mekhali, Dorlewadi, Gunawadi, Pimpli, Kanheri, Malad and Limtek as the village where free and fair polls are unlikely to happen.

Confirming the move, Khan told Mirror, “We demanded the installation of CCTV cameras inside the polling booths of these villages. We have approached Baramati’s assistant returning officer (ARO) as well as district election authority with this issue.” Satav elaborated, “On the day of the polls, NCP workers gather in huge numbers near the booths and create pressure on the election staff. We do not want any misappropriation to take place.”

He added, “We have also raised objections to the use of teachers and non-teaching staff from the colleges operated by NCP leaders, for election duty. We learnt that the staffers of Rayat Shikshan Sanstha and Pune Zilla Shikshan Mandal are deployed at various booths in Baramati. These people cannot work impartially. There is need to record all the election proceeding through CCTV cameras.” In their estimate, there are over 20 colleges surrounding these villages run by NCP followers, from where the polling staff are drawn.

Pawar should stay out of Baramati on D-day: BJP

The saffron party has also sought a ban on NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s presence in Baramati on the polling day. The party leaders pointed out that Pawar’s name is not on the voters’ list for the constituency. His name, as per records, is on the list for the Malabar Hill neighbourhood at Mumbai. They invoked the rule that if a politico is not a voter in a particular constituency and is also not contesting the election from it, he will not be allowed to enter the vicinity on the day of polling.

They also insisted that the police have the right to take action against such political leaders under different sections of the Indian Penal Code, as well as for violation of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Reacting to the move, NCP leader Chetan Tupe scoffed, “BJP is using different pressure tactics as they know that it is not a cakewalk to defeat an NCP candidate in Baramati. We too can blame BJP for misuse of government machinery, taking advantage of its power in the state as well as the Centre. The allegations are imaginary, baseless and worthless.”