Maharashtra CM violated poll codes: Congress to EC
Mumbai, June 5: The Maharashtra Congress on Tuesday lodged a formal complaint alleging violations of the Model Code of Conduct by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during the May 28 Lok Sabha by-elections in Palghar.
A three-page plea has been submitted to Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat in the Election Commission headquaters in New Delhi, said Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant.
It details various instances whereby Fadnavis allegedly violated the Model Code of Conduct in force during the election, making announcements of various schemes, missing voters names and other discrepancies.
The plea has been sent in the name of the defeated Congress candidate in Palghar, Damodar Shingada, ex-MP, demanding strong action against Fadnavis and other concerned officials.
Shingada pointed out that during the election, the Congress complained to the Returning Officers several times regarding these violations but no action was taken against them by the EC.
Shingada highlighted Fadnavis' announcements promising waiver of 'khavati' loans and disbursal of new 'khavati' loans for tribals, a new medical college in Palghar, excluding 29 villages from the jurisdiction of Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation.
Then came Fadnavis' hugely controversial statements exhorting BJP workers to use "Saam Daam, Dand Bhed" to win Palghar elections at any cost, which Shingada described as a threat to 'the people and opposition parties', the instances of BJP workers caught distributing cash at the behest of local district party chief, and violation of the Rs 70 lakh spending limit by the winning BJP candidate Rajendra Gavit.
The plea also pointed out how a large number of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) -- 282 in Palghar and 250 in Bhandara-Gondiya -- were down due to technical glitches for hours, the shocking instance of two Election Officers transporting the EVMs post-polling in a private car and names of many voters missing in Palghar.
The Congress complaint came six days after the Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray termed the Palghar Lok Sabha bypolls "a farce".
On May 31, Thackeray had charged that large-scale manipulations were carried out in the EVMs with the knowledge of the EC officials.
In the two Lok Sabha bypolls in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party retained the Palghar seat trouncing the main Sena rival, but it lost the Bhandara-Gondiya seat to the Nationalist Congress Party.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
