Vanita Raut, a candidate from the Akhil Bhartiya Manavata Paksha (ABVP) contesting the Chandrapur seat in Maharashtra, made a bizzare electoral promise to the voters. With the aim targeting the “poor voters”, she pledged that if she is elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Raut will provide subsidized whiskey and beer. Also, she plans to establish beer bars in villages and distribute free imported whiskey and beer to those in need, as per reports from India Today.
In an interview with India Today, Vanita said, “Jahan gaanv, waha beer baar. Yahi mere mudde hain.” As per the reports, she promised to import the liquor through a “rationing system”, where both the consumer and the seller must possess a license.
She further added, “Extremely poor people toil hard and only find solace in drinking liquor. But they cannot afford quality whiskey or beer. They get to drink only country liquor and there is no limit to the quantity they consume, so they pass out. Hence, I want them to experience imported liquor and enjoy it. I want them to enjoy and enjoy only.” Interestingly, she had made the same poll promise in 2019, but got her security deposits confiscated in an action by the poll authorities according to the report.
Raut contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Nagpur, but lost to BJP’s Nitin Gadkari. In the state Assembly elections, she ran for the Chimur Assembly seat but was defeated by BJP’s Bunty Bhangdiya.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra is gearing up for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, with voting scheduled to take place in five phases for 48 constituencies. On March 31, the BJP core committee in Maharashtra convened a meeting with cluster in-charges to assess the status of all 48 constituencies leading up to the elections. The ruling alliance in Maharashtra comprises the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, the BJP, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Ajit Pawar. On the other hand, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance consists of Uddhav Thackeray’s UBT, the NCP (led by Sharad Pawar), and the Congress.