Violence erupts at Maratha community meeting over candidate selection

Meeting ends without reaching a decision

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A heated altercation unfolded during a meeting aimed at deciding on candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The incident occurred at the Maratha Mandir hall of Cidco N-11, where activist Balasaheb Autade and others allegedly assaulted activist Vicky Raje Patil. The confrontation ensued after accusations surfaced regarding attendees accepting money from specific candidates.

The meeting, convened to address the nomination of candidates, concluded without reaching a decision due to the disturbance. Maratha reservation leader Manoj Jarange Patil had instructed a meeting on March 24 to deliberate on the potential candidacy of independent candidates. Consequently, a gathering of approximately 60 to 70 activists convened at the Maratha Mandir on Friday.

Initial discussions saw suggestions for Balasaheb Autade and Maratha reservation petitioner Vinod Patil as potential candidates. However, allegations arose that prominent leaders and office bearers of the Maratha community were not consulted in organizing the meeting.

Tensions escalated when Autade accused attendees of accepting money from a candidate backed by Shiv Sena's Chandrakant Khaire.

Subsequently, a physical altercation broke out, resulting in Vicky Raje Patil being assaulted by a group of youths. Sunil Kotkar, Sachin Hawle, Vijay Kakade Patil, and women office bearers intervened to diffuse the situation.

Upon notification of the incident, police officers came to the scene. Speaking to journalists, Vicky Raje alleged that he was targeted for challenging the dominance of established candidates in the nomination process. Autade, however, claimed that Raje provoked the altercation by hurling abuses.

Will resolve the issue

Maratha reservation petitioner Vinod Patil expressed his disappointment at the turn of events, urging for unity and prioritizing the reservation issue over elections. He said that the incident is an internal conflict and the community will resolve the issue together.