Dalit woman poisoned after inter-caste marriage in Gangavathi; 13 accused
Gangavati, Koppal: A 21-year-old Dalit woman named Mariamma, from the Madiga community, was allegedly poisoned to death in Vithalapura village of Gangavathi taluk after her inter-caste marriage. The victim's father has accused 13 members of her husband’s family of being involved in her death.
Mariamma married Hanumayya, a youth from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community, in April 2023 after being in a relationship for two years. Following their marriage, Mariamma reportedly faced harassment at her husband’s home, including caste-based discrimination and demands for dowry.
According to the victim's father, Mariamma was assaulted by her husband’s family before being poisoned. The family informed her parents that she had taken poison while working on the farm and was admitted to the hospital, where she later died. The father has filed a complaint with the Gangavathi police, leading to the arrest of two individuals for questioning.
The Gangavathi police have registered a case and sent Mariamma's body for a post-mortem examination at a government hospital. Investigations are ongoing.
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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.
