Jawad/ Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh): With a few hours left for counting, suspense over who will rule the state will end soon. The anticipation among the candidates and their supporters is palpable as they eagerly await the results.
With different agencies' exit polls showcasing unlike projections, Congress and BJP were cautiously optimistic about their chances in the upcoming results. While Congress expressed confidence in its ground-level support and grassroots campaigns, the BJP relied on its strong leadership and national appeal to secure victory.
However, Congress in Neemuch grappling with another controversy here in the district after an audio went viral on social media in which as person reportedly Jawad Congress leader Rajkumar Ahir talking to one Ramesh to vote in favour of BJP candidate Om Prakash Saklecha instead of his party candidate Samandar Patel.
Free Press has the audio file though it does not authenticate whether the audio is genuine or not, it created a stir within the party.
As soon as the video went viral, Congress expelled Rajkumar Ahir from the party for six years. Neemuch district Congress president Anil Chourasia has confirmed action against Ahir.
Meanwhile, attempts to contact Ahir failed after repeated attempts. His assistant Habib Rahi said that he is in Mathura right now and may be due to network issues, he is out of reach.
Notably, Ahir has contested elections from the Jawad constituency three times and lost; despite this, he was in the race for the ticket this time too.
Along with Ahir, Samandar Patel, Satyanarayan Patidar, and Balkishan Dhakad were also in the race for a Congress ticket from Jawad seat.
Congress had made Patel its authorised candidate from Jawad. Upset by the party's move, Ahir also filed a nomination as an independent. But on the advice of the party, Ahir withdrew his papers.
However, the decision to withdraw his nomination did not sit well with Ahir, who felt betrayed by the party's choice of Patel as their authorised candidate.
Many unconfirmed reports also surfaced during the election campaign that Ahir was working against Patel.
Meanwhile, a new audio leak, which went viral, created a stir at the party.
In the audio, a person reportedly Ahir is talking to someone from Dhani village. They are discussing not voting for Patel. At the same time, they are talking about taking Rs 5 lakh from the BJP candidate and voting in his favour.
They are also refusing to vote for independent candidates. They are saying that the independent will not win and that its objective will not be achieved. It is clear from this that Congress itself has worked to defeat its authorised candidate.