Controversy Surrounds Voter Survey Amidst Shivaji Maharaj Statue Collapse

Maharashtra BJP president, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, accused the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi of leveraging the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj's statue in Sindhudurg to conduct a survey assessing voters' mood ahead of state assembly elections. The survey allegedly shows a strong opposition victory, sparking contention. Bawankule also addressed rumors about Eknath Khadse's potential return to NCP.

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday accused the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi of exploiting the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj's statue as a pretext for conducting a voter sentiment survey ahead of the state assembly elections.

Bawankule responded to reports about the survey, which purportedly indicates the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress winning 180 out of 288 constituencies, with the BJP only securing 40 seats.

'They conducted a survey against the backdrop of the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj's statue at Rajkot fort in coastal Malvan. This shows their mentality to use the unfortunate incident for political mileage,' the BJP leader stated.

The statue of the 17th-century Maratha warrior king, which was unveiled by Prime Minister Modi on December 4, 2023, fell on August 26, sparking a political firestorm.

Reacting to former minister Eknath Khadse's reported statement about potentially rejoining NCP (SP), Bawankule claimed he was unaware of Khadse's final stance.

'Khadse supported the BJP in getting Raksha Khadse elected as Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha elections. I think he would continue to support BJP and stay with us,' he concluded.

(With inputs from agencies.)