Police in Solapur have filed charges against NCP (SP) leader Uttam Jankar and 88 others after a group of villagers in Markadwadi attempted to conduct an unauthorized "re-election" using ballot papers. The incident took place despite the district administration’s refusal to grant permission and the imposition of prohibitory orders.
According to authorities, a crowd of 250-300 people gathered in Markadwadi on Tuesday morning with plans to conduct the "re-election" after expressing doubts over the results of the recent state election, particularly concerning the number of votes counted through EVMs. The villagers were concerned about the vote count in Markadwadi’s polling booth, claiming that Jankar, who won the Malshiras assembly seat, had received fewer votes than his opponent, BJP’s Ram Satpute, in the area.
The police intervened, and after explaining the legal implications of holding an illegal election, the villagers abandoned their plans to proceed. Jankar and the others involved were charged with unlawful assembly and disobeying public orders, among other offenses under the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Jankar had won the Malshiras seat by 13,147 votes, defeating Satpute. However, despite his victory, doubts raised by Markadwadi residents regarding the EVM vote count led to the attempt to hold a "re-poll.