News Brief
Maharashtra: Solapur Villagers Attempt To Hold 'Re-Election' With Ballot Papers; NCP(SP) Leader Uttam Jankar, 88 Others Booked
Voters queue up for casting their ballots (File Photo) (Representative Image)
The Maharashtra Police have registered a case against NCP (SP) leader Uttam Jankar and 88 others after residents of Markadwadi village in Solapur district attempted to conduct a “re-election” using ballot papers.
This follows an earlier case against more than 200 people for allegedly violating prohibitory orders and organising the unauthorised polling.
On Wednesday (4 December) Jankar, who recently won the Malshiras Assembly seat in the Maharashtra elections, was charged with unlawful assembly, disobedience of a public servant’s orders, and other sections under the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, reported news agency PTI.
Markadwadi village comes under the Malshiras assembly segment.
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning when 250 to 300 villagers gathered in Markadwadi to conduct the unauthorised “repoll”, defying prohibitory orders.
The idea of conducting "re-election" with ballot papers was floated after villagers raised doubts about the number of votes counted through EVMs from a polling booth in Markadwadi in the recently-held state elections.
The group had raised doubts over the vote tally, claiming that NCP (SP) leader Jankar received fewer votes compared to BJP’s Ram Satpute in the village, despite his overall victory in the constituency.
Police officials stated that the villagers had arranged for polling materials and were prepared to conduct the “re-election” with ballot papers.
However, after police intervened and held meetings with Jankar and the villagers and explained to them the legal procedures and warned of registering cases.
Police held meetings with Jankar and villagers and explained to them the legal procedures and warned of registering cases, officials had said.
Later, the residents relented and cancelled their plans to conduct the "repoll".
The Solapur district administration had earlier denied permission for the proposed re-poll and imposed prohibitory orders banning unlawful assembly in the area.
