In a dramatic turn of events following the contentious Mumbai North West Lok Sabha election, Vanrai police have filed an FIR against Mangesh Vasant Pandilkar, a relative of winning candidate Ravindra Waikar, for allegedly breaching election protocols by using a mobile phone inside the vote-counting centre. The FIR also names Dinesh Gurav, an ENCORE (poll portal) operator with the Election Commission, for allegedly handing his device to Pandilkar. Kirtikar has claimed large-scale manipulation and irregularities in the counting process and is preparing to challenge the election results in court. On June 4, Patil received a report that a mobile phone, strictly prohibited inside the centre, had been found. The reason why he was using the mobile phone inside the centre will also be ascertained.

Source: Indian Express June 15, 2024 14:14 UTC