In the aftermath of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, five candidates from the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) have lodged petitions in the Bombay High Court, disputing the victories of candidates from the Mahayuti coalition. These petitions call into question the integrity of the election processes in their respective constituencies, citing a range of alleged irregularities and electoral misconduct.
The petitioners include Manohar Krishna Madhavi of Shiv Sena (UBT) from Airoli, Prashant Sudam Jagtap of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) from Hadapsar, Pune, Mahesh Kothe of NCP (SP) from Solapur North, Naresh Ratan Manera of Shiv Sena (UBT) from Ovala-Majiwada, and Sunil Chandrakant Bhusara of NCP (SP) from Vikramgad.
Key allegations brought forth in these petitions include duplicate voting, non-disclosure of criminal backgrounds and asset details by rival candidates, EVM malfunctions, bribery, and the lack of transparency during the election procedure. Specific claims include:
- Manohar Krishna Madhavi alleges that in Airoli, there was enabling of duplicate voting and misuse of electoral rolls by his opponent from BJP, which allowed multiple votes by the same individuals.
- Prashant Sudam Jagtap accuses his opponent from a rival NCP faction of concealing
criminal cases and failing to disclose income details, which violates electoral laws. - Mahesh Kothe contests the acceptance of nomination papers of his BJP opponent in Solapur North, who allegedly concealed assets.
- Naresh Ratan Manera raises concerns over EVM-VVPAT discrepancies at a polling booth in Ovala-Majiwada, questioning the validity of the election process.
- Sunil Chandrakant Bhusara challenges the electoral practices in Vikramgad, accusing the winning BJP candidate of bribery and highlighting the denial of crucial election transparency documents.
