Union Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nitin Gadkari fainted on stage on Wednesday during an election campaign in Maharashtra's Yavatmal city. According to the information, Gadkari stumbled and fell on stage during the campaign speech of Mahayuti candidate Rajshree Patil. Currently, his health is said to be stable.
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Gadkari gives update on his health
Almost an hour later of the incident, Gadkari took to his X account and gave an update about his health. "Felt uncomfortable due to heat during the rally in Pusad, Maharashtra. But now I am completely fine and am leaving for Warud to attend the next meeting. Thank you for your affection and good wishes," he stated.
Mamata Banerjee's reaction
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee prayed for Gadkari's health and also questioned the timing of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Pray for the quick and complete recovery of senior Union Minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari @nitin_gadkari. Electioneering in the scorching heat of this cruel summer is indeed unbearable. Today is 24 April, and, can you imagine, our 7-phase elections will continue till 1st June??!! (sic), the Bengal CM wrote on X.
Similar incident in 2018
Notably, Gadkari experienced a similar health scare in 2018 also when he fainted on stage during a programme in Ahmednagar. It was revealed that his blood sugar had dropped, causing dizziness. The minister has also struggled with weight gain and has undergone surgery to address this issue.
Gadkari seeks third term from Nagpur
Gadkari, the ruling BJP's candidate from the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat, has expressed confidence that he would win the election by a huge margin. The senior BJP leader, who is seeking his third term in Parliament from Nagpur, also thanked the party workers for their support. The Nagpur constituency went to poll on April 19 - the first phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
In 2014, Gadkari had defeated veteran Congress leader Vilas Muttemwar, while in the 2019 polls, he defeated Congress candidate Nana Patole, who is now the grand old party's Maharashtra unit chief. While Gadkari had polled 6,60,221 votes, Patole got 4,44,212. The high-profile constituency, which houses the RSS headquarters, has 22,18,259 voters – 11,10, 840 male, 11,07,197 female and 222 transgender persons.
