PMC polls chaos: Shiv Sena leader says stones hurled at his car during campaign near Shreeram Chowk

PUNE: Shiv Sena leader Pramod Nana Bhangire alleged that his car was targeted with stones during an election campaign at a society near Shreeram Chowk in Pune, Maharashtra. Speaking to ANI, he said that the stone pelting incident also targeted Shiv Sena candidate Sarika Pawar. He added that the police were checking the CCTV footage to identify the culprits behind the incident."While I was holding a public meeting for election campaigning in a society near Shreeram Chowk, some people pelted stones at my car and also targeted our candidate, Sarika Pawar. The police have gone to the spot. The police are checking the CCTV footage there," Bhangire said."The footage will reveal who did this. This is very wrong. This shouldn't happen," he added.Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe said the Eknath Shinde faction enjoys strong grassroots support ahead of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections, noting that the party received a warm welcome wherever they campaigned.Speaking to ANI on Monday, she added that the public’s positive response reflected the impact of Eknath Shinde’s work. Gorhe also highlighted that their four candidates entered politics with a focus on serving the people, despite having no prominent political backgrounds."Wherever we went (to campaign), people welcomed us with love. Everywhere, the women who are sometimes troubled due to water issues or other problems, and sometimes harbour anger, which is not at all visible towards us. We even saw labourers on the road waving and dancing, supporting us. It's a very different scene because Eknath Shinde's work has reached the hearts of the people, and in the Pune Municipal Corporation and in this area, our four candidates don't have any big political figures in their families. Yet, they have come into politics to serve," said Gorhe.The Maharashtra State Election Commission has announced elections for 29 municipal corporations across the state, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Polling is scheduled for January 15, with vote counting set for January 16.(With agency inputs)