Maha Assembly Polls: Devendra Fadnavis All Set To Return As Chief Minister, Says Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday casted his vote in Nagpur along with his wife Kanchan. After cast his ballot, confident Gadkari said that Devendra Fadnavis will return as the chief minister of Maharashtra.

Gadkari, who was among the early voters in Nagpur, said people will vote on the basis of the five-year performance of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the Devendra Fadnavis-led dispensation in Maharashtra. “The BJP-Sena will have a record-breaking victory and Fadnavis will be the chief minister again,” he told reporters after casting his vote.

He also urged people to come out to vote and strengthen the democracy, and said NOTA (none of the above) was not a good option in democracy. Besides Gadkari, NCP MP Supriya Sule and her mother Pratibha Pawar were also among the early voters, who exercised their democratic right at Baramati in Pune.

“The Congress-NCP alliance will form the next government,” claimed Sule, who is the daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

Former chief minister Ashok Chavan and the current BJP-led Maharashtra government’s school education minister Ashish Shelar were among the early ones to cast their votes for the state Assembly polls on Monday.

Politicians as well as members of the public came out to exercise their democratic right in the morning despite rain in some parts of the state. Chavan and his family members cast their votes at the Ambedkar Nagar Municipal school in Nanded district.

In Mumbai, where it has been drizzling since last two days, Shelar exercised his franchise at St Stanisluas High school in suburban Bandra. NCP Leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar voted at Baramati in Pune district.

Chavan is the Congress’ candidate from Bhokar in Nanded for the ongoing state polls, while Pawar is the NCP’s nominee from Baramati. Shelar is the BJP’s candidate from Bandra-West seat. Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagde cast his vote in Aurangabad district.

State Housing Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and his family members cast his votes at Shirdi in Ahmednagar. Former cricketer Sandeep Patil, who was also among the early voters at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, said more than the party, the merit of an individual candidate was important.

“We should vote for candidates who work for their constituencies,” he said. Polling began on Monday morning in all 288 Assembly constituencies of Maharashtra where 3,237 candidates, including 235 women, are in the fray.

The voting commenced at 7 am and will end at 6 pm.