Pimpri: Curtains came down on poll campaigning on Saturday evening in Maval and Shirur Lok Sabha seats which will vote on Monday, April 29, the third phase of voting in the state.
NCP’s Parth Pawar, son of former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, is pitted against Shiv Sena’s sitting MP Shrirang Barne in Maval constituency.
Shiv Sena’s three-term MP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil is locked in a fierce battle with NCP’s actor-turned politician Dr Amol Kolhe in Shirur constituency.
The main contestants in both the seats organised gate meetings and rallies on Saturday in an attempt to reach out to maximum number of voters on the last day of campaigning.
Meanwhile, the election authorities have made an elaborate arrangement for conducting voting in the two parliamentary constituencies. The poll material will be handed over to the already trained election staff on Sunday.
Maval constituency’s Returning Officer Kavita Dwivedi said that all arrangements have been completed for polling in this seat.
There are 2,504 polling centres in Maval and 54 of them are sensitive. Altogether 14,000 employees have been deputed for the polling purpose.
Both the rival fronts, NCP-Congress front and BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, have made the poll contests a prestige issue. While Shiv Sena is determined to retain the two seats, the rival NCP has for the first time sensed that it can wrest the two seats.
The rival fronts had brought in their senior leaders to campaign for their candidates.
Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has provided 93 buses to the polling authorities in Chinchwad assembly segment and 76 buses for Pimpri assembly segment of Maval seat. Besides, 84 buses are made available for Bhosari assembly segment in Shirur seat.
