Officials are going through the CD of the NCP chief’s controversial speech, in which he asked mathadi workers at Navi Mumbai to vote twice; EC is likely to forward a report to Delhi
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar is under scrutiny for possible violations of the election code of conduct, after a speech he gave to mathadi workers in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
Sharad Pawar with Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan at an election campaign rally in Satara yesterday. PIC/PTI
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In the speech, Pawar had asked the workers, who are mostly from Satara district, to vote twice for NCP – once in their hometowns and once in their work district in Mumbai. Satara and Mumbai go to polls on different dates in the multi-phase poll schedule this year.
The state wing of the Election Commission (EC) of India started scrutinising the CD of Pawar’s speech yesterday, after procuring it in the morning. Sources said a report would be forwarded to EC’s Delhi headquarters soon.
Taking measures
Pawar in the video had asked workers to erase the voting ink mark and cast their vote again for NCP a second time. “Vote for the clock (the NCP symbol) in Satara, and come back to vote for the clock here as well,” Pawar had said, evoking laughter. He later clarified that he had made the statement in jest, and it was satirical.
However, officers say it is difficult to remove the indelible ink mark, as it is lab-tested and lasts at least for 15 days. In 2009, polling in Satara and Mumbai was on the same day, and people went to their hometowns. This time, polling in Satara is on April 17 and on April 24 in Mumbai.
“Even as Pawar has clarified that the remarks on bogus voting were in a lighter vein, it can not go unnoticed,” say sources. The EC will verify the mood, tone and the tenor of the speech. The EC may also ask for electoral rolls of Satara, Mumbai and Thane to check duplication of names.
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