Waikar should be stopped from taking oath as LS member: Raut amid row over poll result
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday said Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Waikar should be stopped from taking oath as the Lok Sabha member, amid a controversy after he won the Mumbai North West seat by a thin margin of 48 votes.
The Vanrai police in Mumbai have registered a case against Waikar's brother-in-law for allegedly using a mobile phone at a counting centre in Goregaon (which is part of Waikar's constituency) on June 4, when results of the general elections were announced.
Speaking to reporters here, Raut said, "Waikar's electoral victory is under suspicion, and a complaint has already been filed at the Vanrai police station in Mumbai. Due to the ongoing controversy surrounding the poll outcome, Waikar should be prevented from taking oath as a member of the Lok Sabha."
Also read: Waikar OTP Case: Returning officer says 'EVM non-programmable'
"It would be a true display of democracy if he is stopped from being a Lok Sabha member until the investigation is concluded," he added.
Waikar, candidate of the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, defeated Amol Kirtikar of the Shiv Sena (UBT) headed by Uddhav Thackeray by 48 votes on June 4.
Raut, without taking any name, claimed a relative of Waikar made frequent visits to the Vanrai police station before the counting day and sought to know the purpose of it.
"Why did he go there? Was he trying to broker some deal? The details should be revealed, or else I will expose them," the Rajya Sabha member said.
Raut also targeted the state government over the case of a relative of Waikar allegedly using a mobile phone at a counting centre.
"Forensic labs in the state are part of the home department, headed by BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. If blood samples of the Pune Porsche car accident (accused) can be tampered with, one can imagine what could happen to a phone and its data in police custody," he said.
A fresh political slugfest erupted on Sunday over EVM tampering claims with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders citing a media report that alleged that a relative of Waikar was found using a mobile phone "connected" to an electronic voting machine during the counting of votes on June 4.
However, Vandana Suryavanshi, returning officer of the constituency, dismissed the report as "false news" and asserted that the EVM is a standalone system, not programmable and has no wireless communication capabilities.
The BJP hit out at the opposition leaders over the issue and demanded that the Election Commission should prosecute all those who "amplified the lie" by sharing the news report.
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Nagaland civic body polls take place after 20 years, voter turnout at 80 pc
Kohima, Jun 26: Around 80 per cent of the over 2.23 lakh electorate on Wednesday exercised their franchise in the Nagaland civic polls, held after a gap of 20 years, a senior official said.
Voting for 25 urban local bodies (ULBs) in 10 districts began at 7:30 am amid tight security and continued till 4 pm, he said.
The turnout figure is likely to increase as voters were still in queue at many polling stations, the official said.
“Voting has been peaceful... A three-tier security arrangement was put in place in 214 polling stations across the 10 districts,” a State Election Commission (SEC) official told reporters here.
Instead of EVMs, voting took place through ballot papers in the 420 polling stations, he said.
This is a historic election for the northeastern state, as the polling to three municipalities and 36 town councils were conducted after a gap of 20 years.
The urban local body polls were also held for the first time with 33 per cent women reservation, the official said.
The votes will be counted on June 29.
Over 2.23 lakh voters, including 1,13,521 women, will decide the electoral fate of 523 candidates from 11 political parties.
The government had announced elections to urban local bodies several times in the past, but objections from tribal bodies and civil society organisations against reservation for women, and tax on land and properties, created hurdles in conducting the polls.
Among the parties contesting the elections are the NDPP, BJP, Congress, Naga Peoples' Front (NPF), Rising Peoples' Party, RPI (Athawale), JD(U), LJP, NCP and the NPP.
The Eastern Nagaland Peoples' Organisation (ENPO), however, had declared that six districts in the region would not participate in the elections.
ENPO, the apex body of seven Naga tribes in the six eastern districts, has been demanding a 'Frontier Nagaland Territory', claiming that the region has been neglected for years.
There are 14 town councils in the ENPO area.
