Nagpur: Congress MLA from Sakoli Nana Patole on Thursday alleged the BJP used law enforcement agencies to force the Congress to withdraw its first pick, Praful Agrawal, in the Bhandara-Gondia Local Authorities Constituency MLC election, and accused the ruling party of attempting to grab the seat unopposed through pressure tactics. Patole blamed BJP politicians from Nagpur, saying they have started ‘jungle raaj’ in Bhandara. Patole said Congress filed nominations of Praful Agrawal, Dilip Bansod and Naresh Ishwarkar and immediately faced coercive actions by agencies. Patole said, “Agrawal’s house was raided by cops last week, Ishwarkar was put under full police pressure by filing false cases against him.’He said BJP is using their seat of power to change political culture of Bhandara. “A parcel has come from Nagpur to spread jungle raaj in Bhandara, but we will fight it,” said Patole. While he did not identify who was being referred to as ‘parcel’, sources say it is a BJP politician from Nagpur who wields considerable influence in Bhandara. The Sakoli MLA alleged that on the night before the withdrawal deadline, around a hundred policemen were stationed near Ishwarkar’s residence, with senior cops camping at the Mohadi police station till 1 am. The MVA delegation met the collector, election observers, and formally complained to ECI, State Election Commission and district magistrate. Patole sought action against officials he accused of partisan conduct.
