"Will fight till the end": Congress leader Sunil Kedar issues direct warning to BJP

Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], March 28 (ANI): With Lok Sabha elections around the corner, Sunil Kedar, the disqualified Congress MLA who was sentenced to 5 years in jail in connection with the district co-operative bank scam, issued a series of warnings to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
Speaking on the nomination of Maharashtra Congress candidate from Ramtek Lok Sabha seat, party leader MLA Sunil Kedar said on Wednesday," I would just like to say to the ruling party that you and your government officers both listen and that next time you attack Sunil Kedar, just hang him. Don't leave him. Because the next time he comes out (of jail), he will go to each of your houses and not spare you. I will fight till the end. If I don't fight, then who will?"
Ramtek Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 48 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in the state of Maharashtra in western India. Congress has named Kedar's loyalist Rashmi Barve as the candidate from the seat.
Sunil Kedar is a senior Congress leader and former minister. Recently, he was sentenced to 5 years in jail for the District Bank scam. Currently, he is out on bail.
Earlier, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari filed his nomination papers as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra on March 27, the last day for filing nominations, and expressed confidence that the National Democratic Alliance would retain power at the Centre.
Gadkari's wife, Kanchan Gadkari, applied 'Vijay Tilak' to the Union Minister and other party leaders present before filing the nomination.
Earlier, Gadkari expressed confidence in winning the election by more than 5 lakh votes in the upcoming parliamentary polls.
He further said that whatever work he could achieve as Road Transport and Highways Minister, the credit went to the voters who elected him to power.
Elections to the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra will be held in five phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 out of 25 contested seats, while the undivided Shiv Sena secured 18 out of 23 seats.
The undivided NCP, part of the opposition alliance, contested 19 seats and won four. Following the split in the Shiva Sena 2022, the Eknath Shinde faction aligned with the BJP.
The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast votes in the general election.
Various parties have declared their initial lists for the elections, which will conclude on June 1. The counting of votes will take place on June 4. The BJP-led NDA is keen to win over 400 seats. (ANI)