Election officials have initiated an inquiry after a video allegedly showed Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLA Santosh Bangar entering a polling booth while a woman was casting her vote during the Maharashtra local body elections in Hingoli district on Tuesday, reported the PTI.
A video circulating on social media appears to show Bangar entering the polling booth, looking into the voting compartment as a woman cast her ballot, and engaging her in conversation.
Speaking to reporters, an election official said, “I have seen the video, but it is incomplete. I have asked the concerned official present at the booth to prepare and submit a report on the incident. We will take appropriate action based on the findings,” according to the PTI.
It is understood that a member of Bangar’s family is contesting the municipal council elections in Hingoli.
Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad wrote on X, “Shinde Sena’s Santosh Bangar is seen here directly telling a lady to vote for him. His supporter then looks inside the polling enclosure and points out the button to the lady. He and his supporters are openly using phones inside the booth. How can they call this a free and fair election?”
Polling is currently underway across 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in the first phase of the state’s local body elections, where 6,042 seats and 264 council president posts are being contested.
These elections are part of the Supreme Court-mandated process to complete all pending polls by January 31. Schedules for 29 municipal corporations — including Mumbai — 32 Zilla Parishads and 336 Panchayat Samitis are yet to be declared.
Meanwhile, in an another incident, election authorities seized Rs 6 lakh in cash from an SUV on the last day of the campaigning for the local body elections in Majalgaon of Beed district, a day before, officials said on Tuesday, reported the PTI.
An official said a complaint was received on Monday evening about the alleged distribution of cash from an SUV parked along a bypass road.
“The cash found in the jeep has been seized. The person concerned has been asked to furnish proper accounting details,” said Majalgaon Municipal Council chief officer Sundar Bondar, the news agency reported.
(with PTI inputs)
