Solapur/Mumbai, December 3: A section of villagers from Maharashtra's Malshrias assembly segment seeking "re-election using ballot papers" gave up their plan on Tuesday after intervention by police and administration, NCP (SP) leader Uttam Jankar who won the seat said. State Congress president Nana Patole alleged that officials used police to block villagers under BJP's pressure, raising serious concerns about the credibility of EVMs.

Earlier, residents of Markadwadi village under the Malshiras segment in Solapur district had put up banners claiming a "repoll" will be held on "ballot papers" on December 3. The village is part of the Malshiras assembly constituency, where Jankar defeated BJP's Ram Satpute by 13,147 votes in the November 20 polls. Though Jankar won the seat, Markadwadi residents claimed the quantum of votes polled by the NCP (SP) leader was less compared with Satpute, expressing doubt about Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Prohibitory Orders, Security in Place as Maharashtra Village Plans 'repoll' with Ballot Papers.

The Malshiras sub-divisional magistrate on Monday imposed prohibitory orders, under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, from December 2 to 5 in the area. Tehsildar Vijaya Pangarkar rejected the villagers' plea seeking re-poll using ballot papers. "The assembly elections were conducted lawfully, and no objections were raised during voting or counting. Conducting a ballot paper poll now is illegal and beyond the scope of the election process," Pangarkar said on Tuesday.

Later, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Malshiras division) Narayan Shirgavkar said they had a detailed meeting with the villagers and NCP (SP) leader Jankar. "We explained the procedures in the law to them and warned them that even if one vote is cast, cases will be registered," Shirgavkar said. Jankar said after discussions with police officials and villagers, the "repoll" plan was cancelled. The Congress, which won only 16 seats in the Maharashtra assembly polls, has questioned the election process and EVM credibility.

On Tuesday, Patole claimed that the people of Maharashtra suspect that the elections were not conducted transparently. "Markadwadi villagers took a democratic step to address these doubts through a ballot paper poll. Instead, the administration, under BJP pressure, imposed restrictions and used police force to block them. This raises serious concerns about the credibility of EVMs and the government's intent," Patole tweeted. If there were no irregularities why is the administration afraid of a mock poll, Patole questioned. Slip That Comes out of EVM Must Be Given to Voters, Demands Bhupesh Baghel Amid Congress Party’s Demand of Holding Elections Using Ballot Papers.

"This was an opportunity to restore public trust in EVMs, but instead, the BJP's influence has eroded faith in the electoral system," the Congress leader stated. NCP (SP) MLA from Ahilyanagar district, Rohit Pawar, also criticised the administration. "The ballot paper poll decision by Markadwadi villagers was an opportunity for the Election Commission to demonstrate EVM transparency. Instead, the administration acted in fear, imposing restrictions and deploying a massive police force. This raises questions about the state of democracy," he told reporters.

Ram Satpute, who lost the electoral contest in Malshiras constituency, accused BJP MLC Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil of orchestrating the unrest among villagers. "This was not a villagers' movement," Satpute said. "Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil created a false narrative to malign the administration at the state level while targetting EVMs. The administration has rightly dismantled his plan. For the past three days, Mohite Patil's men have been threatening villagers, trying to instigate unrest. Uttamrao Jankar is merely a pawn, while Mohite Patil is the mastermind behind this scheme," Satpute alleged.

Earlier this year, Mohite Patil's younger brother and NCP (SP) leader defeated Satpute in the Lok Sabha elections. Jankar said a meeting was held with police officials who warned of seizing the material at the polling station and filing cases. "After meeting police, we discussed the matter with villagers. The villagers opined if the administration does not allow polling, there will be chaos and conflict between police and residents, which will deter people at the polling station," he said.

Considering the stand of the police and the administration, the villagers decided to stop the "polling" process, Jankar said. Earlier, a villager Ranjit Markad claimed the village had 2,000 eligible voters on the polling day, and 1,900 of them exercised their franchise. "The village always supported Jankar in the past, but this time, as per the counting of votes through EVMs, Jankar got 843 votes while BJP candidate Satpute polled 1,003 votes. This is not possible and we do not trust these EVM numbers, that is why we decided to conduct the repoll through ballot papers," said Markad.

In the recently concluded Maharashtra polls, the Mahayuti won 230 of the state's 288 seats, with the BJP emerging victorious in 132, Shiv Sena 57 and Ajit Pawar's NCP 41. The Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP), managed to get just 46 seats.