Lok Sabha elections 2024: Maha Vikas Aghadi has no leadership or agenda, says Shiv Sena leader

Raju Waghmare. Pic/X

Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader Raju Waghmare said on Friday that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has no leadership or agenda and that there is a lot of "tension within the Congress," reported news agency ANI.

Speaking with ANI, Waghmare said, "All 5 Mahayuti candidates will get elected from the Vidarbha region; the atmosphere has changed entirely... Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has no leadership or agenda; there is a lot of tension within Congress; the party (Congress) is hollowed out completely; and people also know what will happen if the vote is given to them."

He also expressed confidence that the voters have shown immense faith in the Mahayuti.

"In all 5 seats in the Vidarbha region, Mahayuti will win by a huge margin. Voters and people have shown immense faith in us," he added, reported ANI.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra, which has 48 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha, saw polling in five seats on Friday. The polling was held in Chandrapur, Bhandara-Gondiya, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Ramtek, and Nagpur on Friday.

An approximate voter turnout of 61.06 per cent was recorded in Lok Sabha polls held on Friday in Nagpur, Ramtek, Bhandara-Gondiya, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli-Chimur in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, though final figures will be updated by Saturday, as per the data from the Election Commission of India.

Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) filed a complaint with the Election Commission on Friday against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar and two BJP leaders for allegedly violating the Representation of the People's Act and poll code by promising disbursement of state finances using their official positions.

The NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) is part of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra, also comprising Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress.

"We had filed complaints with the Election Commission of India for the repeated violation of Provision VII of Model Code of Conduct and Section 123 of Representation of People's Act by Ajit Pawar; Mangesh Chavan and Mr. Chandrakant Patil," it said.

It further claimed that the leaders have been repeatedly promising the disbursement of state finances using their official positions only if their candidate is elected.

"In blatant disregard of law and dearth of any vision, they have been repeatedly promising disbursement of State Finances using their official positions only if their candidate is elected," the Sharad Pawar-led party said.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 out of 25 seats it contested in alliance with the undivided Shiv Sena. Elections to the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra will be held in five phases. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

(With inputs from ANI)