NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday expressed surprise that the Pune District Central Co-operative (PDCC) Bank, controlled by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, in Baramati was found open till midnight on Wednesday, just ahead of the election to the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill in the town.
Pawar said the bank was found open late at night during the Lok Sabha elections, too. "This is the second time it is happening. The bank cannot remain open unless there are instructions from those who are controlling it," he said.
Pawar's daughter and Baramati MP Supriya Sule said this was a serious violation and demanded a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the matter. "If a bank remains open till late at night in a poll-bound area, it is a serious violation. CCTV footage must be examined, and an SIT should probe the matter," she said.
The June 22 election to the sugar mill has become a high-stakes battle between Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar.
Ajit Pawar is among the 90 candidates in the fray for the 21-member board of directors of the sugar mill. Results will be declared on June 24.
The Nilkantheshwar panel, headed by Ajit Pawar, who is contesting the election after more than four decades, currently holds power in the mill. Sharad Pawar's faction has also entered the fray through the Baliraja Sahakar Bachav panel, whereas the Sahakar Bachav panel, led by Ranjan Tawre, is also contesting the polls, making the election triangular.
The functioning of the PDCC Bank on Wednesday night led to a controversy, with supporters of the Sahakar Bachav and Baliraja panels alleging that a voter list was found inside the bank.
"Before we reached, Ajit Pawar's PA and others were inside. Our people saw them leaving in a car. Why was the bank open so late? Why was his PA there? We suspect voter lists were being manipulated and cash packets were being prepared to buy votes," alleged Tawre.
Police should register a First Information Report, he demanded.
Election officer Yashwant Mane confirmed that his office has received an email complaint from Tawre's panel. "We have forwarded it to the assistant returning officer and police to check for any violations of the model code of conduct," he said.
Ajit Pawar's panel has not reacted to the controversy yet.
