Poll din ends in Nagpur, Amravati, Akola

Nagpur, Jan 30: Electioneering for the February 1 civic elections in Nagpur, Amravati and Akola in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra ended today.

The campaigning ended at all the three places at 1730 hours this evening.

A total of 1,147 candidates are in the fray in 135 wards from where elections are being held for Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), with the election in one ward having been countermanded due to the death of a candidate there. There are 14.44 lakh voters in Nagpur, including 6.97 lakh male and 7.47 female voters, who will exercise their franchise at 1,247 booths.

In Amravati, 672 candidates are in the fray from the 81 wards, official sources said. A total of 4.05 lakh voters, including 2.13 lakh males and 1.92 lakh females, will exercise their franchise at 340 polling booths, the sources said.

In Akola, 498 candidates are in the fray for the election from 70 of the 71 wards. Voting will not take place in one ward since the Congress candidate there was elected unopposed after the remaining three candidates withdrew from the contest. A total of 2.83 lakh voters will exercise their franchise at 253 polling booths, the sources said.

Meanwhile, the police in Nagpur yesterday seized foreign and country liquor worth over Rs 3 lakh allegedly stocked without the necessary permit and meant for distribution to voters in the city. According to the police, the stock was seized from a sawmill owned by Rajesh Tank, husband of former Congress councillor Chetana Tank.

The stock included 10 cases of foreign liquor and 283 cases of country liquor, a police press release here today said.

The manager of the sawmill, Mahadev Natthu Kadukar, has been arrested, police said.

Late last night, the police arrested four persons for allegedly carrying 15 cases of country liquor without the necessary permit.

They have also been booked on charges of obstructing a government servant on duty when the police stopped the auto-rickshaw (MH-31/W-3702) that they were travelling in for a search. The four persons, identified as Santosh Chandramani Pathak (32), Mukesh Narayan Kaurya (26), Bharat Jivan Umreja (40) Ashok Lakharam Wanjari (48), abused and shoved a constable when the vehicle was stopped, the press release added.

UNI