Sena leader accuses Mahayuti ally BJP of influencing Satara Zilla Parishad poll

Mumbai: Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Shambhuraj Desai on Monday alleged that the BJP exerted political pressure during the Satara Zilla Parishad president election last week, leading to irregularities in the voting process.

"Democracy was murdered" during the election process and the district's reputation was tarnished, charged Desai, who is the guardian minister of Satara.

The Shiv Sena would initiate legal action against members who violated the whip, and defectors would face disqualification proceedings under the anti-defection law, he told reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan complex.

The party would take further decisions in a meeting of its MLAs, Desai added.

The BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) headed by Sunetra Pawar share power in Maharashtra as part of the Mahayuti government.

During the Satara Zilla Parishad (ZP) president poll on Friday, BJP's Priya Shinde was elected to the post, trumping the Shiv Sena-NCP combine's candidate despite the latter having the majority. The BJP narrowly surpassed the Sena-NCP alliance's tally to win the top post.

"The media has witnessed everything that happened during the election. We had the numbers on our side. Cases were registered against two members elected on the Shiv Sena symbol and two were poached, while we managed to bring the others," Desai said.

He alleged that a false complaint of abduction was filed by the son of an NCP ZP member under political pressure.

"If we had to detain the member, why would we not have done so in our party meeting? When the polling booth was barely 10 metres away in the ZP premises, the member was allegedly taken into custody," said Desai.

He further claimed that despite informing the police that they were heading to vote, they were stopped and manhandled.

"Even in the presence of two ministers, one MLA and one MP, the police scuffled with us. I was pushed despite being the guardian minister, and the Satara SP behaved like a subordinate of the BJP," he alleged.

Calling Satara a "cultured district", Desai claimed such incidents of political poaching and intimidation had tarnished its reputation. He said the issue would also be raised in the state cabinet, alleging that "democracy was murdered" during the election process.

The incident had "blackened the district's history", the minister said and warned of legal recourse, including approaching the Supreme Court against members who violated party directives.

He also accused the BJP of "killing democracy" and alleged that the administration acted as its agent.

Although the BJP may have initiated the episode, its conclusion would be shaped by the Shiv Sena and the NCP, he claimed.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra legislative council deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe directed the Maharashtra government to suspend Satara Superintendent of Police Tushar Doshi over the ruckus and manhandling during the Zilla Parishad president election.