An independent candidate from Beed, Balasaheb Shinde, tragically passed away after suffering a heart attack while awaiting his turn to vote at a polling booth on Wednesday. The incident occurred at the Chhatrapati Shahu Vidyalaya voting center during Maharashtra’s assembly elections.
Shinde collapsed suddenly and was immediately rushed to Kaku Nana Hospital in Beed. He was later transferred to Chhatrapati Shambhaji Nagar Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival. Police confirmed that the body has been sent for post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.
Impact on Elections
Under Section 52 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, if a candidate dies during the election process, voting on the concerned seat can be postponed. Authorities are yet to confirm if this provision will be invoked for the Beed constituency.
Political Context in Beed
The Beed assembly seat has historically been a bastion of Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). However, the recent split in the party has seen Ajit Pawar align with the BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction. This has reshaped the political landscape in the region, with NCP now represented by two factions.
The Electoral Battle
Maharashtra is witnessing a fierce contest between two major alliances:
- Mahayuti Alliance: Led by the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction.
- Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA): Comprising Congress, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction.
The state voted across 288 assembly seats on Wednesday to elect a new government, with vote counting scheduled for November 23.
Shinde’s untimely death has cast a shadow over the polling process in Beed, with political leaders expressing condolences.
Sources By Agencies
