Maharashtra RS polls: Counting delayed after BJP alleges violation of rules

The counting of votes for the Rajya Sabha elections were delayed here after the Bharatiya Janata Party objected to the votes cast by three MLAs of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), alleging gross violation of the rules, and took the matter to the Election Commission of India.

The Congress has filed a counter-complaint for the vote cast by BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar.

The BJP alleged that Nationalist Congress Party’s Jitendra Awhad, Indian National Congress’s Yashomati Thakur and Suhas Kande from Shiv Sena violated the rules.

Awhad is the housing minister and Thakur is the women and child development minister in the ruling MVA government.

“Each voter has to display his vote to the authorised agent from a distance. While Awhad and Thakur handed their ballot papers to their respective agents, Kande displayed his ballot paper to the agents of two different parties,” said BJP MLA Parag Alavani, who was the polling agent.

“Now permission is required from the Election Commission of India, then only counting will begin,” the state urban development minister, and Shiv Sena leader, Eknath Shinde said.

“There is no violation of rules…what can we say…it’s childish,” said Ahwad.

“The BJP is disturbed and it is an act of frustration,” said Thakur, who added that all four candidates of MVA would win. “They just want to create confusion, inside and outside.”

The MVA alleged that Mungantiwar gave his ballot to party Member of Legislative Council Chandrashekar Bawankule.

Congress MLA and polling agent Amarnath Rajurkar complained to the Election Commission about this.

The charge was refuted by Bawankule who insisted that it was just an attempt to counter the objections raised by the BJP.

The Shiv Sena also pointed out that Independent MLA Ravi Rana carried a copy of Hanuman Chalisa inside Vidhan Bhavan premises during the polling.

“During the polling, objections were raised by political parties and legislators…the returning office turned it down…now they have taken the matter to New Delhi,” said Congress leader and textile minister Aslam Shaikh.

NCP spokesperson Clyde Crasto said, “Does the BJP think that the Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtra is a cricket match and (that) they can only rely on Duckworth-Lewis method to win?”

During the day, 285 members of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly voted for the Rajya Sabha elections. Although Maharashtra’s electoral college comprises 288 members, the current strength of the state Assembly is just 287, as Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke passed away last month.

Nationalist Congress Party MLAs Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik were not able to vote as the court/s did not give them temporary bail.

There were seven candidates in the fray to fill up six vacancies. Piyush Goyal, Anil Bonde and Dhananjay Mahadik from the BJP, and Sanjay Raut and Sanjay Pawar (from Shiv Sena), Praful Patel (NCP) and Imran Pratapgarhi (Congress) were MVA’s nominated candidates.