Politics

Nitin Gadkari Faints During Maharashtra Rally Due to Heat, Recovers Quickly

On Tuesday afternoon, during an electoral rally in Yavatmal, Maharashtra, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari passed out. Luckily, the senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party received medical attention quickly, and following a short break, he was able to return to the stage and finish his address.

Mr. Gadkari posted on X, the former Twitter platform, shortly after concluding his speech.

Nitin Gadkari

“The heat at the Pusad, Maharashtra, relly caused me to feel uncomfortable. I am heading to Varud to attend the upcoming meeting, though, now that I am fully well. I appreciate all of your kindness and well wishes. Unfortunately, the incident was captured on camera. It was broadcast live on X (previously Twitter), including on the BJP leader’s account. It showed Nitin Gadkari being carried away by others present, many of whom hurried to surround the BJP leader with a shield to provide him and those tending to him with some privacy. Rajashree Patil, a member of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s branch of the Shiv Sena and the ruling Mahayuti alliance’s choice for Yavatmal-Washim, was being campaigned for by Mr. Gadkari, who fought the first round of the Lok Sabha election as the candidate from Nagpur, a seat he won in 2014 and 2019.

Video credit: Press Trust of India

Earlier this year, as the BJP postponed announcing Mr. Gadkari as its Nagpur Lok Sabha candidate, there was conjecture on the politician’s future. Due to this delay, Uddhav Thackeray, the previous chief minister, even sent Mr. Gadkari a mocking “join us” invitation. “I’m saying this again since I told Gadkari two days ago. Join the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), an alliance of the Congress Party and the erstwhile united Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party, led by Mr. Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, if you are being abused. “We’ll make sure you win. When our administration takes office, we’ll appoint you as a minister, and that will be a position with authority, Uddhav Thackeray said.

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It appears that the BJP listened and answered. After a few days, Mr. Gadkari appeared on the party list. In response to Mr. Thackeray’s offer earlier, Mr. Gadkari described it as “immature” and “ridiculous.” He claimed that his adversary did not need to worry about him since the BJP has a structure in place for poll tickets while speaking in Yavatmal. The Nationalist Congress Party breakaway section, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the BJP, and the Sena, led by Shinde, make up the Mahayuti coalition. The three are working feverishly to reach a seat-sharing agreement before the deadline for submitting nominations for the election’s fifth phase.