Mumbai: Campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Mumbai has peaked. At the campaign rally of Mahayuti candidate from North East Mumbai constituency Mihir Kotecha, an incident of stone pelting was reported. The incident took place in the Govandi area. BJP office-bearers alleged that unidentified persons pelted stones at the campaign rally and a case has been registered at the police station.
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Regarding the incident, Mahayuti candidate Mihir Kotecha said, "This is the third time that stones were pelted at our campaign rally in the Deonar-Govandi area. I think opposition candidates are doing this kind of business for fear of defeat. It may seem that the workers of the Grand Alliance will be scared of stone pelting and will not campaign, but it will not happen. A case is being registered by our woman office-bearer Niharika Khondle, who was hit in the face with a stone. The opposition has anti-social elements and they are doing this. We will not and will not be intimidated by this," he said.
"Our campaign rally is getting a huge response. The campaign rally left Mankhurd Govandi area on Monday evening. Then we were pelted with stones in Govandi. That stone hit me. These are conspiracies by the opposition. This is a sign of weakness. They are scared of the growing response to the BJP candidate." BJP women's office-bearer Niharika Khondle said.
In North-East Mumbai, Mihir Kotecha of the Mahayuti and Sanjay Dina Patil of the Maha Vikas Aghadi are in the fray. The ticket of sitting MP Manoj Kotak was cut and Mihir Kotecha was given the ticket. Sanjay Dina Patil has got a ticket from the Shiv Sena UBT group. The constituency is witnessing a direct contest between the Mahayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Recently, Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi announced his support to UBT group candidate Sanjay Dina Patil.