Pune: Senior Citizens Demand Lotus Symbol in EVM: Brief Disruption at Dhayari Polling Station (Video)

Pune: Today marks the long-awaited Baramati Lok Sabha election, a contest that has captured the attention of the entire nation. This election has taken on monumental significance, as it features a rare showdown between two members of the influential Pawar family.

On one side stands the incumbent MP of Baramati, Supriya Sule, representing the Mahavikas Aghadi alliance. Challenging her is Sunetra Pawar, the wife of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is running on behalf of the opposition Mahayuti coalition. Both candidates have left no stone unturned in their vigorous campaigning efforts, and now the crucial day of voting has arrived.

Since the early hours of the morning, a flurry of activity has been witnessed near polling stations, with prominent leaders and ordinary citizens alike exercising their democratic right to vote. However, an intriguing incident unfolded at the Sanas school in Dhayari, where two senior citizens expressed their displeasure upon not finding the symbol of the Lotus, representing the BJP, on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).

In a bold stance, the elderly individuals declared their refusal to vote until the Lotus symbol appeared on the EVM. This led to a temporary halt in the voting process at the polling booth. However, with the intervention of local leaders and officials, the senior citizens were eventually persuaded to cast their votes for their preferred candidate, restoring the voting process to normalcy.

The Baramati Lok Sabha constituency boasts a significant electorate of 23,72,000 eligible voters, served by 2,516 polling centres established by the Election Commission. Notably, the Bhor taluka houses the majority of these centres, with 561 polling stations. Additionally, areas such as Dhankawadi, Fursungi, and Uruli, traditionally part of the Pune Municipal Corporation, also fall within the boundaries of the Baramati constituency.