Nashik: Yeola town in Nashik district observed a bandh today to express disappointment over NCP`s decision to field its Minister and local MLA Chhagan Bhujbal in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, and demand that he contest from his present Assembly seat.
The Maharashtra PWD Minister, who represents Yeola in the Assembly, has been given ticket by NCP to contest Lok Sabha election from Nashik, from where his nephew Sameer is the sitting MP.
This decision did not go down well with local NCP leaders and activists, who want Bhujbal to contest from Yeola once again and continue what they call his "good work" in the Assembly constituency.
Responding to the bandh called by the local unit of the Sharad Pawar-led party and Bhujbal`s supporters, shops and commercial establishments remained closed in Yeola, police said.
NCP activists staged a "rasta roko" on the Manmad- Ahmednagar Road near Vinchur, they said, adding the shutdown was largely peaceful.
According to Nilesh Patel, President of Yeola Municipal Council, and NCP activist Ambadas Bankar, during his multiple tenure as MLA, Bhujbal has developed the drought- prone town and its adjoining areas.
However, much remains to be done and hence Bhujbal should represent Yeola Assembly seat once again instead of contesting from Nashik Parliamentary constituency, they said.
The Assembly election is due in second half of 2014.
According to political observers, Bhujbal himself is not interested in contesting Lok Sabha polls and wants to remain in state politics.
The Yeola bandh was a message from his supporters to the NCP leadership to rethink their decision on fielding Bhujbal, they maintained.
