Mumbai police have filed a case against a relative of Shiv Sena’s Ravindra Waikar, who won from the Mumbai North-West constituency, for allegedly bringing a mobile phone into the counting station on the day of Lok Sabha vote counting on June 4, reports The Indian Express.
Senior Inspector R Rajbhar of Vanrai police station said that on Wednesday, the police booked Dinesh Gurav, a polling staff member, for allowing Pandirkar to bring a mobile phone into the counting station at Nesco ground in Goregaon East.
The Mumbai North-West constituency witnessed a tightly contested election between two factions of Shiv Sena – Ravindra Waikar backed by Eknath Shinde and Amol Kirtikar backed by Uddhav Thackeray. After a closely fought battle, Waikar emerged victorious by a slim margin of 48 votes.
According to the police, a case has been filed against Waikar’s relative M Pandilkar, who was also representing Independent candidate Lata Shinde.
The complaint was lodged by a worker of the Bharat Jan Aadhaar Party at the Vanrai police station.
Inquiry revealed that Pandilkar did not have permission to bring his mobile phone into the counting station.
“The case has been registered under relevant sections of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and sections 188 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code,” said Rajbhar.
The police have obtained CCTV footage from the centre as part of their investigation.
In a dramatic conclusion to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Shiv Sena candidate Ravindra Waikar narrowly defeated Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Amol Kirtikar by just 48 votes in the Mumbai North West constituency.
Meanwhile, reacting to the reports of phones being taken to counting centre, Vandana Suryavanshi, returning officer of Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency, said, “The EVM is a standalone system and there is no need for an OTP to unlock it.”
“We have issued notice to Mid-day newspaper under sections 499, 505 of the Indian Penal Code for defamation and spreading false news” Suryavanshi said at the press conference, reports PTI.