Eknath Shinde party's MP seeks dismissal of opposition leader's election petition

Ravindra Waikar, Shiv Sena MP from the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's faction, has opposed an election petition filed by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Amol Kirtikar, and requested its dismissal.

In Short

• Ravindra Waikar opposes election petition filed by Amol Kirtikar
• Ravindra Waikar denies mobile phone use claim inside the counting area
• Amol Kirtikar narrowly lost to Ravindra Waikar by just 48 votes in Lok Sabha polls

Ravindra Waikar, Shiv Sena MP from the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's faction, has opposed an election petition filed by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Amol Kirtikar, and requested its dismissal.

Senior advocate Anil Sakhare, representing Waikar, on Thursday informed the court that he was submitting two applications. "One is for dismissal of the election petition on various grounds, and the second is for striking out unnecessary paragraphs from Kirtikar’s petition," Sakhare said.

Advocate Amit Karande, appearing for the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, requested four weeks to respond to Waikar’s application. Sakhare opposed the request, urging the court to expedite the process. “Waikar is an elected Member of Parliament who has responsibilities in his constituency. He cannot be tied up in litigation indefinitely,” Sakhare argued.

Stating that election petitions must be handled expeditiously, Justice Sandeep Marne noted that the petitioner had requested an extended time.

Waikar’s statement alleges that Kirtikar’s petition was filed with the intent of undermining a fair and free election process. The Shinde Sena MP argued that the leader of Shiv Sena (UBT) failed to provide any substantial reason for contesting the Lok Sabha election results and that many of the claims made were vague and lacked supporting evidence.

The MP from the ruling Eknath Shinde's party has also contended that Kirtikar raised allegations against the Returning Officer (RO) but failed to include the officer as a party in the petition. He further claimed that Kirtikar was attempting to gain political leverage ahead of Maharashtra’s legislative assembly elections.

In his petition, the opposition leader alleged that Waikar's relative had used a mobile phone unauthorisedly inside the counting centre. Waikar denied this, stating in his written response, "It is denied that there was unauthorised usage of mobile phones inside the counting area." Kirtikar also claimed he was not given a reasonable opportunity to request a recount, a claim Shinde Sena MP refuted.

Kirtikar narrowly lost to Waikar by just 48 votes in the Lok Sabha election. Waikar secured 452,644 votes, while Kirtikar received 452,596 votes in the Mumbai North West constituency.