Today, On 5th February, The Bombay High Court dismissed a petition challenging the election victory of Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad. The plea was filed by rival candidate Asif Siddiqui, who alleged electoral malpractices during her campaign. The court found no merit in the allegations and rejected the case. This decision upholds Gaikwad’s win amid political scrutiny.
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court dismissed a petition contesting the election victory of Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad, who represents Mumbai North-Central in Parliament.
Justice Sharmila Deshmukh, presiding over the single-judge bench, rejected the election petition filed by rival candidate Asif Siddiqui. Siddiqui had alleged electoral misconduct and procedural violations during Gaikwad’s campaign.
The court delivered its verdict after reviewing arguments regarding the petition’s maintainability, with a detailed order expected soon.
Siddiqui claimed that Gaikwad’s campaign handbills failed to meet mandatory printing standards and accused her of distributing money to voters in exchange for their votes. In response, Gaikwad’s counsel, advocate Tejas Deshmukh, argued that the petition lacked substantial evidence and did not specify the alleged false promises made during the campaign.
He noted that the petitioner had not provided any videos to support the bribery allegations and pointed out that the only individual named in the claims, sitting MLA Zeeshan Siddiqui, belonged to the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), not to Gaikwad’s party.
Advocate Moin Chowdhari, representing Siddiqui, contended that videos supporting the allegations were withheld for witness safety but had been shared with the police and the Election Commission. He also claimed that Gaikwad had submitted a false residential address in her court filings.
After considering the arguments, the court dismissed the petition. With this ruling, Gaikwad’s position as the sole Congress MP from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region remains intact.
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