Maharashtra CM's son enters Ujjain Mahakal temple's sanctum sanctorum despite ban; triggers row
Ujjain/Mumbai, Oct 18: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's MP son Shrikant Shinde has courted controversy after he was allowed entry into the sanctum sanctorum of the Mahakaleshwar temple in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain despite a ban, prompting the authorities to order a probe.
Shinde, who represents Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra's Thane district, entered the 'garbha griha' (sanctum sanctorum) along with his wife and two others to worship the deity on Thursday evening, temple sources said.
A controversy erupted after a video of the incident went viral as entry of devotees into the sanctum sanctorum has been banned for nearly a year now, they said.
The opposition Congress took strong objection to the incident, saying VIPs were allowed entry into the sanctum sanctorum despite a ban while common citizens have to wait in queues for hours for 'darshan' of the deity.
Hitting back, Shrikant Shinde said the opposition has an allergy to going to temples.
"They have an allergy even if we go to the temple. They don't take darshan and stop others from doing so," Shinde told reporters in Mumbai.
Expressing displeasure over the episode, Congress MLA Mahesh Parmar on Friday said, "While a common devotee has to stand in long queues and wait for hours for the darshan of Lord Mahakaleshwar, the VIPs were allowed to enter the garbha griha despite a ban on entering it."
"This is against rules and we strongly oppose it," he told reporters.
Chairman of the temple committee and Ujjain district collector Neeraj Kumar Singh said, "Nobody is allowed to enter the garbha griha. This (Shinde's) is an unauthorised entry and I have directed the temple administrator to take immediate action in this matter."
Administrator of the temple, Ganesh Dhakad, said a probe has been ordered and action will be taken against the inspector responsible for overseeing entry and other aspects of the sanctum sanctorum and others in this matter.
The Mahakaleshwar temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is one of the 12 'jyotirlinga' temples in the country and attracts a large number of devotees throughout the year.
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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.
