Jailed BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad votes in MLC polls amid opposition protests

Opposition objects to jailed BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad voting in Maharashtra MLC elections. Court permission granted after consultation, leading to delays and controversy.

Mumbai: Opposition parties on Friday objected to jailed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ganpat Gaikwad being allowed to vote in the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections.

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After Gaikwad was escorted by police to Vidhan Bhavan from Taloja Central Jail, the Congress urged the returning officer of the MLC elections to deny him permission to vote.

The BJP then sought the opinion of senior counsel and former attorney general Shrihari Ane. He reportedly said there would be no problem since the court had given permission, and the returning officer had also allowed him to vote.

Congress MLC Abhijit Wanjarri submitted a written objection over the matter, after which the returning officer consulted the Election Commission of India. Gaikwad then had to wait for over an hour till the ECI sent its response, allowing him to vote.

NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh then pointed out that he had not been allowed to vote earlier when he was in prison. The BJP replied that the court had not permitted Deshmukh to vote, which wasn’t the case with Gaikwad.

Gaikwad, a three-term MLA from Kalyan East in Thane district, was arrested in February for allegedly shooting and injuring Shiv Sena leader Mahesh Gaikwad inside a police station in Ulhasnagar over a land dispute. He had then blamed the Eknath Shinde-led Sena leaders for cornering him. The incident had led to tension between the BJP and Shiv Sena.