WWE Indian wrestler and BJP leader Dalip Singh Rana, aka 'The Great Khali' was in Maharashtra's Nagpur city on Monday, December 1, to campaign for local body polls in the state. The party had announced the list of senior leaders who would campaign for its candidates.
While speaking to the media, Khali said, "I had come here to campaign for the BJP candidate. The response was very good... The atmosphere was very good. People showered a lot of love, and they are excited."
He said that the BJP government is working well in the region, which is the reason people are showing a lot of love towards the party. "The central government leaders put in a lot of thought before every decision. They always have the best interests of the country in mind," Khali said.
Also Read | Why Are Elections in 20 Maharashtra Local Bodies Postponed? What We Know So Far.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has postponed and suspended the elections in at least 20 municipal councils (Nagar Parishad) and Municipal Panchayat (Nagar Panchayat), citing procedural irregularities and court cases.
NCP leader and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's regional seat, Baramati, too, is part of the list. Polls in these places will now be held on December 20, instead of December 2. In some regions, the entire elections have been postponed due to court cases regarding the candidature for the post of council chief, while at, elections in some wards has been pushed ahead.
The seats where elections were postponed are Baramati and Talegaon in Pune; Four other municipal councils in Ahilyanagar district namely Devalali, Kopargaon, Nevasa and Pathardi; Phaltan and Mahabaleshwar in Satara district; Digras, Pandharkavda, Wani in Yavatmal district; Ghuggus, Gadchandur, Mul in Chandrapur; Balapur in Akola; Anjangaon-Surji in Amaravati; Dharashiv municipal council in Dharashiv; Mangalvedha in Solapur; Badalapur in Thane and Mukhed and Dharmabad municipal panchayats in Nanded district, according to The Indian Express newspaper.
However, the SEC had not disclosed a list of detailing the names and numbers of local bodies or wards where elections had been postponed.