Nagpur: Eight Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidates from Vidarbha who unsuccessfully contested the Maharashtra assembly elections in Nov last year, moved the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Saturday with election petitions challenging their rivals’ victories.
The candidates are: Praful Gudadhe, Yashomati Thakur, Santosh Singh Rawat, Satish Warjukar, Girish Pandav, Shekhar Shende, Dr Rajendra Shingne and Subhash Dhote. Their petitions alleged widespread irregularities, manipulation of electronic voting machines (EVMs), and procedural lapses and sought nullification of results besides holding elections afresh in disputed constituencies.
The HC is expected to commence hearings on the petitions later this month. The Chief Election Commissioner, Maharashtra State Election Office, and district collectors of respective districts have been named as respondents.
CM Devendra Fadnavis’s win from Nagpur Southwest constituency was challenged by the defeated Congress candidate Praful Gudadhe. Former women and child development minister Yashomati Thakur, who lost to BJP’s Rajesh Wankhade from Amravati’s Teosa constituency, has alleged discrepancies in the counting process and demands scrutiny of EVM logs and VVPAT records.
Congress’s Santosh Singh Rawat filed a petition alleging electoral roll manipulations and exclusion of minority and first-time voters after his loss to BJP’s Sudhir Mungantiwar from Ballarpur in Chandrapur district. His petition emphasises procedural lapses and requests an audit of EVMs and CCTV footage.
Satish Warjukar, who contested from Chimur constituency on a Congress ticket, initiated proceedings against BJP’s Bunty Bhangdiya.