Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray with party's Mumbai North-West seat candidate Amol Kirtikar during a road show for Lok Sabha elections, in Mumbai, Tuesday, May 14, 2024.
PTI
Mumbai: The counting controversy involving the Mumbai North West seat continue to escalate further with the Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) claiming that the BJP would not even won 40 seats if there was no EVMs even as the rival Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena demanded public apology from I.N.D.I.A. bloc leaders including Rahul Gandhi.
In the elections to Mumbai North East, Ravindra Waikar of Shiv Sena had defeated Amol Kirtikar of Shiv Sena (UBT) by a margin of 48 votes.
Even as Thackeray’s son and Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray claimed that “victory was snatched by misusing official machinery,” Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut demanded that Waikar should not be administered oath as a Lok Sabha member till the issue was settled.
“Had there be no EVMs and elections were free and fair, the BJP would have got only 40 seats and not 240 seats,” said Aaditya.
"It would be a true display of democracy if he is stopped from being a Lok Sabha member until the investigation is concluded," Raut said.
Even as Kirtikar is planning to file an election petition in the Bombay High Court challenging his defeat, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab said that file a petition against the illegal decision by Returning Officer Vandana Suryavanshi, who is Additional Collector of Mumbai Suburban district.
“The election result declared is suspicious . We are taking legal recourse. Counting process was fine till the 19th round. There was no transparency after the 19th round,” said Parab.
Parab also claimed that Form 17 C was not provided. "Probe also needs to be done on the constant phone calls to the returning officer. She would move away from her seat several times to talk on the phone," he said.
Responding to the charges, Shiv Sena deputy leader Sanjay Nirupam said that for spreading fake news on EVMs, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Thackeray, his son Aaditya must apologise. “All leaders who propagated the fake news should apologise,” he said in what was a reference to I.N.D.I.A. bloc leaders.
"If EVMs could be hacked, would so many Congress seats have been won?" Nirupam asked.
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