Over 60 pleas filed challenging Maharashtra poll results
What's the story
Over 60 election petitions have been filed by the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc candidates in Maharashtra, contesting the outcome of the recent Assembly elections.
The petitions were filed before different benches of the Bombay High Court, with a majority of them submitted on January 7—the final day of the 45-day filing window after the November 20, 2024 elections.
Petition details
Congress leaders among petitioners challenging election results
Reportedly, around 25 Congress leaders, including Sangram Thopte, Ramesh Bagve, and Prithviraj Chavan from Western Maharashtra, are among those who filed petitions.
Eight Congress leaders from Vidarbha and four from northern Maharashtra have also filed petitions at the Nagpur and Aurangabad benches.
From Marathwada as well, five Congress leaders have filed poll petitions.
Legal action
NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) candidates challenge election outcomes
Candidates of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) including Manohar Krishna Madhavi, Prashant Sudam Jagtap, Mahesh Kothe, Naresh Ratan Manera, and Sunil Chandrakant Bhusara, have also challenged the election results.
These candidates want the results in their constituencies to be annulled.
The petitions were filed through advocate Aseem Sarode at the Principal Bench.
Election irregularities
Allegations of electoral misconduct raised in petitions
The petitioners have alleged several forms of electoral misconduct, including duplicate voting, hidden criminal cases, concealment of assets, EVM malfunctions, bribery, and lack of transparency.
Jagtap's petition against Chetan Vitthal Tupe alleges that Tupe "deliberately concealed criminal cases" and did not disclose income details in violation of Section 125A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Case specifics
Specific allegations detailed in election petitions
Kothe's petition challenges Vijaykumar Deshmukh's victory in Solapur North for allegedly concealing assets and improper nomination acceptance by the returning officer.
Manera is disputing Pratap Sarnaik's win in the Ovala-Majiwada constituency, while Madhavi is contesting Ganesh Chandra Naik's victory in Airoli, alleging duplicate voting entries facilitated multiple votes.
The Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP won 230 of the state's 288 seats in the recently held assembly polls.