Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) [India], November 17 (ANI): Ahead of Maharashtra elections, helidropping of polling personnel of 76 polling stations of the Aheri Assembly constituency by the Indian Airforce MI-17 helicopters started early morning from Aheri on Sunday.

Electronic Voting Machines and polling personnel were dropped at 14 base camps at the police stations for further onward movement.

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The helidropping of EVMs and polling personnel will continue till November 19 in Gadchiroli.

The Maharashtra assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with votes for all 288 constituencies to be counted on November 23.

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The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the Nationalist Congress Party (SCP), seeks to reclaim power in the state, challenging the Mahayuti alliance, which includes Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena secured 56, and Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP won 122 seats, Shiv Sena 63, and Congress 42.

Earlier today, a viral video of senior Congress leader Nitin Raut purportedly claiming that he was dropped from the Vilas Rao Deshmukh cabinet for greeting the CM with 'Jai Bheem' has spelt trouble for the party. The clip has given the BJP ammunition to attack the party as Anti-Dalit.

BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took to X and attacked Congress on the instance and called them Anti-Dalit and Anti-Ambedkar DNA.

"Senior leader Nitin Raut discloses that he was dropped as a minister from Vilas Rao Deshmukh cabinet only because he greeted him & Congress leaders with "Jai Bheem" slogan Congress has an Anti Dalit and Anti Ambedkar DNA !" the post read.

Additionally, Poonawalla also posted a self-recorded video in the post where he attacked Rahul Gandhi and said that he wanted to end the elections, and said "Rahul Gandhi said he would end elections. Even Nehru wanted to end elections. Between 80-90, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi stood against the Election Commission. They made Ambedkar contest for elections twice. All these instances have always proved that Congress is Anti-Dalit. When will they tell us that their own motive is to insult the Dalits. The Congress is against election, Dalits, and Ambedkar."

Maharashtra BJP women's wing chief Chitra Kishor Wagh also posted the video on X saying that the original face of Congress was anti-reservation, anti-backward class and only appeased the Muslims. (ANI)

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