Certainly this ain't Gandhigiri

CONGRESS party activist Sanjay Jagtap and his supporters allegedly attacked former MLA Sambhaji Kunjir as Congress leader Anant Thopte was delivering his speech and the district presidentship poll was to begin at Congress Bhavan yesterday.

Chairs were hurled at Kunjir just as he was about to come to the fore in the hall.


CHAIRING THEIR GRIEVANCES: Plastic moulded chairs are flung at
former Congress MLA Sambhaji Kunjir (left)allegedly by party activist
Sanjay Jagtap and his supporters.

"I was appealing to party activists to stop the chaos when Jagtap and his supporters came closer and started beating and hurling chairs at me," said Kunjir. "I will not lodge any police complaint, but senior party leaders must take action against them."

Jagtap, committee member of Purandar taluka, however, refuted the charge. "None of my supporters nor I am involved. The attack is being linked to me since Kunjir and his supporters failed to secure a seat in his home taluka Purandar."

"He (Kunjir) gestured to me to come forward and that's how I got embroiled in this," he said. "The allegation against me is baseless."

Kunjir, however, said that Jagtap was upset with the support he got from locals.
Devidas Bhansali, who was unanimously elected yesterday, said, "Supporters created a chaos after Election Supervisor Marutrao Kumbholkar announced that only members remain present in the hall. Some members created disturbance and attacked Kunjir but Jagtap was not among the attackers."

Fight for power
Eyewitnesses at the Congress Bhavan, who did not wish to be named, said Kunjir was challenging the election and demanded that the Pune district president be nominated by party dignitaries.