Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad on Friday said the Lok Sabha elections 2024 was between the “Bharatiya janata” (people of India) and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reported the PTI.

Addressing a press conference, Varsha Gaikwad said that the BJP, which operated an “extortion racket” under the electoral bonds scheme, was now trying to impose dictatorship by “freezing” the accounts of the Congress, as per the PTI.

“The Congress has an uphill task ahead to manage funds for campaigning, election meetings etc. Freezing our bank accounts during elections is murder of democracy. The BJP has weakened all institutions in the country,” she said, the news agency reported.

Varsha Gaikwad said that the Income Tax notice was for an assessment year of 30 years ago and it had penalised the party Rs 110 crore for a sum of Rs 14 lakh.

“Fear has gripped the BJP. Free and fair polls cannot be held in such a manner. People will teach the BJP a lesson and throw them out of power. The Lok Sabha polls is a fight between Bharatiya janata and the BJP,” Varsha Gaikwad said, according to the PTI.

Meanwhile, three sitting MLAs are in the list of seven candidates declared by the Congress on Thursday for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 in Maharashtra.

Three-time Solapur City Central MLA Praniti Shinde (43), daughter of former Union minister Sushilkumar Shinde, will contest from Solapur, while Kasbapeth legislator Ravindra Dhangekar will fight the polls from Pune, the party said.

Balwant Wankhede, an MLA from Daryapur, has been fielded from Amravati seat, which is reserved for the Scheduled Castes.

As per the party`s announcement, former MLA Vasantrao Chavan has been fielded from Nanded and Gowaal K Padavi, who is son of Congress leader KC Padavi, will contest from Nandurbar (Scheduled Tribe) seat.

Shahu Chhatrapati, scion of the Kolhapur royal family, is the party`s candidate from Kolhapur, while Shivajirao Kalge will contest from Latur (SC) seat.

On Thursday, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray had said his party will rally behind Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, a descendant of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, to make him victorious in the Lok Sabha polls.

Though the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is yet to finalise its seat-sharing arrangement for the April-May polls, Thackeray had said.

(with PTI inputs)

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