Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde addresses a public meeting ahead of the state Assembly elections, in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar district.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: The need for time management and the sheer pace of poll campaigns came to the fore on Monday after Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's visible anger over delay at a Mahayuti rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar was caught on camera.
Shinde, who arrived to address a rally for his party candidate Sanjana Jadhav in Kannad assembly segment there, was upset after realising that two leaders were yet to make their speeches, which in turn would have delayed him for his next stop in the campaign itinerary. As a thumb rule, the senior most leader speaks last at rallies.
In a video, Shinde can be seen expressing his disappointment at local Shiv Sena leaders and also showing his wristwatch to colleague and Aurangabad Lok Sabha MP Sandipan Bhumre to signal poor time management.
Incidentally, on Sunday, Union minister Amit Shah encountered similar paucity of time at a rally in Morshi in Amravati. The BJP's key strategist and star campaigner apologised for having just five minutes to speak to those at the well-attended gathering since his helicopter was scheduled to take off at a specific time.
Recently, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray faced such a situation on the campaign trail.
While addressing a rally in Borivali, in the northern tip of Mumbai, Thackeray realised he would not be able to reach Prabhadevi, in the central part of the metropolis, to campaign for his son and Mahim MNS candidate Amit Thackeray.
To tide over the issue, Thackeray addressed his next rally in Versova, in west Mumbai, from Borivali via live telecast and then rushed to Prabhadevi.
Maharashtra assembly polls will be held on November 20, while votes will be counted on November 23.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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