Voting for the Maharashtra Municipal elections to 264 municipal councils and municipal panchayats is underway in the state on Tuesday, December 2. A shocking case of bogus voting has been reported in Buldhana district, leading to a major uproar in the Maharashtra political circle. Within just an hour and a half from the start of polling. Meanwhile, voters are already facing problems due to technical glitches in EVMs at several booths and confusion regarding names missing from voter lists.
The incident took place at the polling station located at Gandhi Primary School in Ward No. 15 of the Buldhana Municipal Council. A resident of Kothali allegedly attempted to cast a vote under the name of another voter, Vaibhav Deshmukh. Election officials noticed the suspicious activity and immediately caught the accused. Another person was also detained for attempting to cast a bogus vote.
Following this incident, Congress leaders have made serious allegations, claiming that people were brought to Buldhana in private vehicles from Kothali, Ibrahimpur, and nearby ghat areas to vote fraudulently. Congress candidate Datta Kakas said video evidence of the malpractice is circulating on social media.
He further alleged that the police administration has turned a blind eye towards bogus voters being brought from these areas, calling it a case of deliberate negligence or collusion by officials.
Tensions escalated outside the polling station after one accused voter reportedly managed to escape from police custody. A video has also surfaced showing the son of a Shiv Sena MLA involved in an altercation linked to the incident.