Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The allotment of election symbols for the municipal corporation elections was conducted peacefully at most places on Saturday. However, in ERO 9, a dispute broke out among candidates over the ‘gas cylinder’ symbol. A heated exchange of words took place between candidates of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and independent candidates. As the argument escalated to the point of alleged threats of assault, the atmosphere became tense. Sources said that the matter led to phone calls being made to Adv. Balasaheb Ambedkar and Deepak Kedar. Considerable drama unfolded at the administrative office during the episode.
In Prabhag No. 20, independent candidate Akash Jadhav was allotted the ‘gas cylinder’ symbol by the administration, while VBA candidate Pravin Kadam was given the ‘coconut’ symbol. As Kadam wanted the ‘gas cylinder’ symbol, he requested Jadhav to give it up. This led to a sharp verbal altercation between the two.
“I was abused and threatened with assault,” Akash Jadhav alleged while speaking to the newspaper.