At the rally in Nigdi on Saturday. At the rally in Nigdi on Saturday.

Minutes after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ended his speech — after lauding the huge turnout — at Madanlal Dhingra ground in Nigdi on Saturday, 80-year-old Suman Kamble was struggling to make her way out of the stadium amid the crowd. Her difficulty was compounded by a foot injury that had her virtually limping.

Kamble had come from Kiwale with her two grandchildren, who were holding her hands as she could not stand on her own. She had come because “they promised us money, food and transportation for coming here. They said that each member of our family will be paid Rs 400”. “But the have given us nothing so far..not a single paisa. They didn’t even give food and water,” she said, even as her grandchildren sprinted toward the vehicle that would take them home.

BJP general secretary Sarang Kamtekar, however, denied people were promised money to come to the rally. “The promise of money must have been made by some leaders for food and transportation. It is not true that the crowd was promised money and brought here,” said Kamtekar.

He said he had deployed at least 26 buses to bring people to the stadium. “I didn’t have to pay a single paisa to them. But yes, I had made arrangements to serve food to 2,000 people,” he said.

The Kamble family was not the only one which was brought in packed buses, trucks, tempos and jeeps. People at the rally came from every corner of Pimpri-Chinchwad and even some parts of Maval and Raigad. Some of them identified themselves as street vendors, autorickshaw drivers, truck drivers and contract labourers.

Some said they were asked to come to a predesignated location as early as 10 am though the rally, which was scheduled at 3 pm, actually started at 5.30 pm. They were promised free lunch, bottles of water, and free transportation to and from their residence. Some people at the rally alleged that each of them was supposed to get between Rs 300 and Rs 500 for attending the rally, a promise they said the BJP leaders did not fulfill. Many people at the rally said they skipped their day’s work to attend the rally.

Like a group of at least 60 people that had come from Kalewadi, which halted briefly outside Dhingra stadium at 5.15 pm. “We were asked to gather at a marriage hall in Kalewadi at 10 am. They said we will be served breakfast first, which we never got. They also said they will provide us lunch and water. but gave us absolutely nothing,” alleged Mangal Nandire.

Kusum Waghmare, another Kalewadi resident, said, “They promised us that they will pay each member of our family, therefore we have brought our children as well.” Waghmare said they were told about a meeting, “but since they promised us money, we decided to come”.

Elizabeth Waghchoure, a fashion designer, identified herself as the leader of the group from Kalewadi. She had come with four members of her family. “Each one of us had been promised at least Rs 500-Rs 600, but even by Sunday evening, no BJP leader has turned up to pay us anything,” she alleged. Waghchoure, who was busy noting down the names of those who attended the rally, said, “I was given the responsibility of bringing all the local people…I am supposed to submit the names to BJP leaders so that each one of us is paid what has been promised.”

Waghchoure said she hoped the BJP will keep its “promise”.

A group of women who arrived from Vidyanagar appeared equally agitated. They discouraged a local resident who tried to take their picture. “We came ‘khalifukat’ (unnecessarily). They made big promises like giving us money at the rally, but we got nothing,” said Mumtaz Shaikh. Another resident, Kondabai Shitole, said, “Each one of us was supposed to get Rs 400 for attending the rally, besides lunch and mineral water bottle. But we have had to spend from our own pockets.”

At the rally, Fadnavis heaped praise on the local BJP leaders like Laxman Jagtap and Mahesh Landge for ensuring a huge turnout. “I knew in this land of Chhatrapati Shivaji, there will be a massive turnout. And therefore, we decided to hold our ‘Atal Sankalp Mahasammelan’ here first,” he said, while emphasising that every corner of the stadium was choc-a-block with people. Kamtekar said at least one lakh people had come for the rally.

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