MNS Thane chief Avinash Jadhav met Thane Municipal Commissioner and Chief Election Officer Saurabh Rao, demanding action against two election officials whom he accused of acting in a partisan manner
MNS leader Avinash Jadhav warned that the party would stage a sit-in protest if no action was taken. File Pic
The Thane unit of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Tuesday alleged that the wrongful rejection of nomination papers of opposition candidates led to six Shiv Sena candidates being elected unopposed in the upcoming Maharashtra local body elections.
The Shiv Sena candidates belong to the faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
MNS leader meets election authorities
MNS Thane chief Avinash Jadhav met Thane Municipal Commissioner and Chief Election Officer Saurabh Rao, demanding action against two election officials whom he accused of acting in a partisan manner.
Jadhav warned that the party would stage a sit-in protest inside the commissioner’s office if no action was taken against the officials concerned.
Allegations of bias and collusion
According to Jadhav, the two officers played a “suspicious and biased role” while scrutinising nomination papers and allegedly rejected opposition nominations in collusion with the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance.
“If such practices continue, even the mayor could be elected unopposed in the next phase,” Jadhav said in a statement.
Civic elections in Maharashtra are scheduled to be held on January 15, though several candidates of the ruling alliance have already been declared elected unopposed after rival candidates withdrew their nominations.
Video and complaint submitted earlier
Jadhav also referred to a video earlier released by the MNS, which allegedly shows police presence being used to pressure candidates into withdrawing their nomination papers.
He said a detailed complaint regarding irregularities in the unopposed election process had already been submitted to the Chief Election Commissioner, but no action had been taken so far.
Civic body responds
In a statement, the Thane Municipal Corporation said Commissioner Saurabh Rao assured the MNS delegation that the allegations would be examined carefully.
The commissioner said a “positive decision” would be taken after verifying records and following due procedures.
Shiv Sena (UBT) also raises concerns
Meanwhile, leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT), including MP Rajan Vichare, Kedar Dighe and Anish Gadhave, submitted complaints regarding the functioning of election officers in wards 4, 5, 7, 16, 17 and 18.
They alleged that nomination papers of several candidates in polls were declared invalid during scrutiny in a questionable manner.
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(with PTI inputs)
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