Lok Sabha elections 2024: All parties want Muslim votes but can't find candidates from community, says Asaduddin Owaisi

Asaduddin Owaisi. File pic

All parties in Maharashtra want Muslim votes in the Lok Sabha polls but have not fielded candidates from the community, All India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi said on Monday amid ongoing Lok Sabha elections 2024, reported news agency PTI.

Addressing a Lok Sabha elections 2024 rally in Amkhas Maidan, Owaisi also said parties have come together to ensure the defeat of his Aurangabad MP Imtiaz Jaleel.

"Political parties are seeking votes of Muslims but could not find candidates from the community for any of the 48 seats in Maharashtra. They are not bothered about results elsewhere but two Shiv Sena, two NCPs and half Congress are here to defeat Jaleel," he claimed, reported PTI.

Criticising Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Chandrakant Khaire, the AIMIM chief said the former used to call himself a Hindutva leader but arrived at the Idgah here after realising the importance of (Muslim) voters.

"Those whose politics was earlier based on 'khan ya baan' (Muslims and Hindus) are now talking about namaz'," he asserted.

Dubbing Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray as "newly secular", Owaisi said the former chief minister must clear his stand about Babri Masjid demolition and say whether it was a sin or not.

Meanwhile, a voter turnout of 31.55 per cent was recorded till 1 pm in 11 of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, where polling is underway in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 on Tuesday, election authorities said, reported PTI.

As per data shared by the authorities, Latur registered 32.71 per cent polling, Sangli 29.65 per cent, Baramati 27.55 per cent, Hathkanangale 36.17 per cent, Kolhapur 38.42 per cent, Madha 26.61 per cent, Osmanabad 30.54 per cent, Raigad 31.34 per cent, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg 33.91 per cent, Satara 32.78 per cent and Solapur 29.32 per cent, reported PTI.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, his wife Sunetra Pawar, the NCP candidate from Baramati, and his mother Asha Pawar were among the early voters.

They cast their votes at a polling booth in the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency in Pune district, where Sunetra is pitted against her sister-in-law Supriya Sule, the sitting MP from Baramati.

NCP (SP) head Sharad Pawar, his wife Pratibha Pawar, daughter Supriya Sule and her family, MLA Rohit Pawar and his family also voted in Baramati.

Actor-couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh cast their votes in Latur, while Union minister Narayan Rane voted in Sindhudurg.

Ritesh Deshmukh is the son of Congress leader and former state chief minister late Vilasrao Deshmukh.

Rane is the BJP candidate from the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat.

Voting began at 7 am across the 11 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Some prominent contestants include royal scions Shahu Chhatrapati of the Congress in Kolhapur and BJP's Udayanraje Bhosale in Satara.

A total of 2.09 crore persons are eligible to vote for 258 candidates in the third phase, an official said.

As many as 23,036 polling centres have been set up in the state, he said.

There are 1,07,64,741 male voters, 1,02,26,946 female voters and 929 from the third gender, the official said.

(With inputs from PTI)