Prohibitory orders and heavy security in place as Maharashtra village plans 'repoll' with ballot papers

X/ File Pic

A significant security presence has been established in a Maharashtra village after local residents cast doubt on the electronic voting machine (EVM) results and demanded a re-election using traditional ballot papers. The incident unfolded in Markadwadi village, located within the Malshiras assembly segment of Solapur district, where locals have decided to conduct a "repoll" on December 3.

To prevent any potential law and order issues, the Malshiras sub-divisional magistrate issued prohibitory orders on Monday, under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, which will remain in effect from December 2 to 5. This measure comes in response to the villagers' push for the re-election.

Markadwadi village, part of the Malshiras constituency, had witnessed a victory for NCP (SP) candidate Uttam Jankar in the state assembly elections held on November 20. Jankar defeated BJP's Ram Satpute by a margin of 13,147 votes, with results officially declared on November 2. However, the villagers dispute the EVM results, claiming that the vote count in their locality does not align with expectations.

According to local resident Ranjit Markad, Markadwadi has 2,000 eligible voters, of whom 1,900 participated in the elections. Markad insists that while Jankar historically enjoyed the village's support, the EVM count, which showed him receiving only 843 votes as opposed to Satpute's 1,003, is implausible. The villagers' distrust in the electronic voting system has led them to demand a re-election through ballot papers instead.

Despite their appeals, the district administration rejected the request for a ballot paper-based re-election. Unperturbed, some villagers on Tuesday proceeded with plans for the "repoll" at a designated location. In response, the local authorities swiftly deployed a significant police presence, imposing restrictions and warning that legal actions would be taken if the unauthorised voting occurred.

Uttam Jankar, who was also present in Markadwadi, stated that police had sealed off roads and issued threats of legal consequences, including confiscation of polling materials. He expressed that the villagers were resolute and would continue with their plans for the repoll, despite the heavy police presence.

Deputy Superintendent of Police for Malshiraj division, Narayan Shirgavkar, assured that extensive security measures were in place to avert any disturbance and maintain law and order in the village.

The controversial incident in Markadwadi follows the recent state assembly elections, where the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition secured 230 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, including 132 for the BJP, 57 for Shiv Sena, and 41 for Ajit Pawar's faction of the NCP. Meanwhile, the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which includes Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP), garnered only 46 seats.

(With inputs from PTI)