Pune: The first time Nandu Jagtap was assigned poll duty at Pimpalwandi, one of the 56 villages prone to leopard attacks in Junnar taluka, he was scared as hell. "I am not as scared this time, but am careful about my movements," said Jagtap, the presiding election officer at Pimpalwandi. This is his second stint in the village.
Jagtap said he was trained by officials of Election Commission and forest department before he was assigned duty in the village during the Lok Sabha polls this year. "We were told to move in groups, avoid any movement near sugar cane fields in the evening, carry torches, and make sounds while travelling. The first time I was in the village, it was very scary.
I constantly kept thinking about leopards lurking nearby and waiting for an opportunity to pounce on me," he said. Just a few kilometres from the polling station, Central Security Force personnel were deployed at Pimpri Pendhar, where several leopard attacks had taken place. The area has now emerged as a hotspot for intense political battle between former MLA Sharad Sonawane and current MLA from Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) Atul Benke, who had both promised voters a solution to frequent leopard attacks.
"This is a serious issue and our workers have arranged a few vehicles for safe transportation of villagers to and from polling booths," said Benke. The Junnar assembly segment, known for having the highest density of leopards, is currently facing a four-way contest. The division saw eigh.