NAGPUR: After elevating the banner of revolt and snapping his four-decade-old ties with the Congress to contest from Nagpur Central within the Maharashtra elections, veteran politician Anees Ahmed missed the deadline to file nomination Tuesday on a Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) ticket by two minutes.
“My nomination was not accepted by the returning officer as I missed the 3pm deadline,” Ahmed mentioned. His absence all through the morning and his last-minute scramble sparked speculations in political circles about his intent to contest.
Former in-charge secretary of Delhi, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh Congress committees, Ahmed arrived at Nagpur Central returning officer’s sales space moments after the 3pm deadline, after claiming to cross a mountain of obstacles like highway closures, vehicular restrictions, safety protocols, and last-minute documentation.
The submission window was open from 11am to 3pm.
Public bulletins urged candidates to expedite submissions at 2.30pm, with a closing reminder at 2.45pm. The doorways have been sealed at 3pm. Ahmed remained on the returning officer’s camp until 8pm, pleading that his nomination be accepted. He cited his tough trek with an injured knee to the collectorate workplace because the administration had restricted highway entry. Ahmed cited time constraints following his exit from Congress Sunday and his subsequent journey to Mumbai for induction in VBA, and Tuesday’s nomination.
“Securing NOCs, clearance certificates, establishing nationalised financial institution accounts stored me tied up until 2.30pm,” he mentioned. The event drew sharp reactions from a number of quarters who dubbed the act as a ploy to skip the electoral battle. Sources mentioned the blot of not directly serving to BJP performed on his thoughts and this froze his need to contest. Now, VBA will stay unrepresented in Nagpur Central, having didn’t discipline an alternate candidate and this inadvertently will profit Congress, say political onlookers.
