'Ravindra Waikar Will Not Reach Lok Sabha': Sanjay Raut's Challenge Amid Row Over EVM
Sanjay Raut said that Waikar was in Shiv Sena (UBT) earlier but he left the party due to the fear of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said on Tuesday that Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) leader Ravindra Waikar will not reach the Lok Sabha. He also said that Waikar was in Shiv Sena earlier but he left the party due to the fear of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI. Speaking to reporters on the issue of opposition's claims against EVM, Raut said that the opposition has not raised a question on the EVM but on the system.
"Ravindra Waikar was in Shiv Sena earlier but due to the fear of ED & CBI he left the party...He should first talk about the ED case against him. Why is that stopped? We have not raised a question on the EVM but on the system. We have raised questions with evidence against the Returning Officer...Ravindra Waikar will not reach the Lok Sabha," Raut said.
#WATCH | Mumbai, Maharashtra: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut says, "Ravindra Waikar was in Shiv Sena earlier but due to the fear of ED & CBI he left the party...He should first talk about the ED case against him. Why is that stopped? We have not raised a question on the EVM… pic.twitter.com/2qjHKlvQyq
— ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2024
Sanjay Raut's remarks come as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition bloc INDIA are at loggerheads over the issue of concerns related to EVM.
Ravindra Waikar grabbed eyeballs after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shared a report by Midday. The report underscored a controversial incident involving a relative of a Shiv Sena candidate in Maharashtra who allegedly possessed a phone capable of unlocking an EVM.
"During investigations, the Vanrai police found that the accused, Mangesh Pandilkar, a relative of Ravindra Waikar, the Shiv Sena candidate who won the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha seat by 48 votes, was using the phone, which was connected to the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Police said this mobile phone was used for generating the OTP that unlocked the EVM machine, which was used inside the NESCO Centre on June 4," the report stated.
Ravindra Waikar won the Mumbai North-West constituency by a small margin of 48 votes. The constituency witnessed a close fight between both Shiv Sena factions - Eknath Shinde's Ravindra Waikar and Uddhav Thackeray's Amol Kirtikar. The constituency witnessed a close fight between both Shiv Sena factions - Ravindra Waikar from Eknath Sinde's Shiv Sena and Amol Kirtikar from Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT). After the final result, Waikar was declared the winner by just 48 votes.
Ravindra Waikar joined Shiv Sena in the presence of Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, in Mumbai in March this year.
Earlier, an FIR was registered against Mangesh Pandilkar, a relative of Ravindra Waikar, for allegedly carrying a mobile phone inside a counting centre in Maharashtra's Goregaon. The case was registered at Vanrai Police Station. An FIR has also been registered against polling personnel Dinesh Gurav, who was an Encore (poll portal) operator with the Election Commission. Mumbai's Vanrai Police sent a notice to Mangesh Pandilkar and Dinesh Gurav under Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
The mobile phones were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to recover the data, and fingerprints present on the phones are also being taken, the police said.
"We are also investigating the CCTV cameras of the Nesco Center, which may help us to find out how the mobile phone reached inside the centre, and also investigating whether there are more accused involved in this case or trying to find out who supplied this mobile phone," Vanrai Police said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
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