In a rare move, residents of Markadwadi village under the Malshiras segment in the Solapur district of Maharashtra planned a "repoll" and put up banners claiming re-election on "ballot papers" today (December 3). However, their plan was foiled by the local police.
NCP (SP) leader Uttam Jankar, who won the Malshiras seat, said, "A section of villagers from Malshrias constituency, who were seeking "re-election using ballot papers", gave up their plan after intervention by police and administration."
Police blocked villagers under BJP's pressure: Congress
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole alleged that officials used police to block villagers under BJP's pressure, raising serious concerns about the credibility of EVMs.
Villagers question the credibility of EVMs
Jankar won the seat defeating BJP's Ram Satpute by 13,147 votes in the November 20 polls, yet, the villagers were not satisfied with the winning margin. Markadwadi residents claimed the quantum of votes polled by the NCP (SP) leader was less compared with Satpute, expressing doubt about Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Restrictions imposed in Malshiras
The Malshiras sub-divisional magistrate on Monday imposed prohibitory orders, under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, from December 2 to 5 in the area. Tehsildar Vijaya Pangarkar rejected the villagers' plea seeking re-poll using ballot papers.
"The assembly elections were conducted lawfully, and no objections were raised during voting or counting. Conducting a ballot paper poll now is illegal and beyond the scope of the election process," Pangarkar said on Tuesday.
Later, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Malshiras division) Narayan Shirgavkar said they had a detailed meeting with the villagers and NCP (SP) leader Jankar.
"We explained the procedures in the law to them and warned them that even if one vote is cast, cases will be registered," Shirgavkar said.
Jankar said after discussions with police officials and villagers, the "repoll" plan was cancelled. The Congress, which won only 16 seats in the Maharashtra assembly polls, has questioned the election process and EVM credibility. On Tuesday, Patole claimed that the people of Maharashtra suspect that the elections were not conducted transparently.
"Markadwadi villagers took a democratic step to address these doubts through a ballot paper poll. Instead, the administration, under BJP pressure, imposed restrictions and used police force to block them.
This raises serious concerns about the credibility of EVMs and the government's intent," Patole tweeted.
If there were no irregularities why is the administration afraid of a mock poll, Patole questioned. "This was an opportunity to restore public trust in EVMs, but instead, the BJP's influence has eroded faith in the electoral system," the Congress leader stated.
NCP (SP) MLA from Ahilyanagar district, Rohit Pawar, also criticised the administration. "The ballot paper poll decision by Markadwadi villagers was an opportunity for the Election Commission to demonstrate EVM transparency. Instead, the administration acted in fear, imposing restrictions and deploying a massive police force. This raises questions about the state of democracy," he told reporters.
Ram Satpute, who lost the electoral contest in Malshiras constituency, accused BJP MLC Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil of orchestrating the unrest among villagers. "This was not a villagers' movement," Satpute said.
"Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil created a false narrative to malign the administration at the state level while targetting EVMs. The administration has rightly dismantled his plan. For the past three days, Mohite Patil's men have been threatening villagers, trying to instigate unrest. Uttamrao Jankar is merely a pawn, while Mohite Patil is the mastermind behind this scheme," Satpute alleged.
(With PTI inputs)
