The petitioners—Manohar Krishna Madhavi, Prashant Sudam Jagtap, Mahesh Kothe, Naresh Ratan Manera, and Sunil Chandrakant Bhusara—are seeking annulment of the election results in their respective constituencies.
Maharashtra: Following their defeat in the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections, five candidates representing parties under the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) have filed petitions in the Bombay High Court, challenging the victories of rival candidates from the Mahayuti alliance.
The petitioners—Manohar Krishna Madhavi, Prashant Sudam Jagtap, Mahesh Kothe, Naresh Ratan Manera, and Sunil Chandrakant Bhusara—are seeking annulment of the election results in their respective constituencies.
The allegations raised include electoral misconduct such as duplicate voting, non-disclosure of criminal cases and assets, EVM malfunctions, bribery, and a lack of transparency in the election process.
- Manohar Krishna Madhavi: A Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from the Airoli constituency, Madhavi lost to BJP’s Ganesh Chandra Naik. Madhavi’s petition accuses Naik and the Election Commission of enabling duplicate voting and the misuse of electoral rolls, allowing individuals to vote multiple times.
- Prashant Sudam Jagtap: Representing the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) from Hadapsar in Pune, Jagtap has challenged the victory of Chetan Vitthal Tupe from the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP. Jagtap alleges that Tupe concealed criminal cases and failed to disclose income details, violating Section 125A of the Representation of People Act, 1951.
- Mahesh Kothe: An NCP (SP) candidate from Solapur North, Kothe has contested the win of BJP’s Vijaykumar Deshmukh. He claims Deshmukh concealed immovable properties and other assets and accuses the returning officer of improperly accepting Deshmukh’s nomination papers.
- Naresh Ratan Manera: A Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from the Ovala-Majiwada constituency, Manera has challenged the victory of Pratap Baburao Sarnaik, an NCP (AP) MLA and transport minister in the Fadnavis government. Manera’s petition alleges faults in the EVM-VVPAT system at a polling booth and criticizes the overall election process.
- Sunil Chandrakant Bhusara: An NCP (SP) candidate from Vikramgad, Bhusara has filed against BJP’s Harishchandra Sakharam Bhoye. His petition accuses Bhoye of corrupt practices, including bribery, while also citing the refusal to provide Form 17-C and CCTV footage, undermining election transparency.
The petitions, filed through advocates Asim Sarode and Ajinkya Gaikwad, highlight alleged violations of election laws and call for scrutiny of the contested results.
