MLA booked over Markadwadi mock re-poll

The day after the Markadwadi ballot-paper mock re-election was cancelled on Tuesday, Solapur rural police filed an FIR against newly elected NCP (SP) MLA, Uttam Jankar, and around 100 others for breaching prohibitory orders. Jankar said he will consult legal experts and fight “this injustice”

MUMBAI: The day after the Markadwadi ballot-paper mock re-election was cancelled on Tuesday, Solapur rural police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against newly elected NCP (SP) MLA, Uttam Jankar, and around 100 others for breaching the prohibitory orders against unlawful assemblies. Jankar said he will consult legal experts and fight “this injustice”.

MLA booked over Markadwadi mock re-poll

The first mock re-election of its kind, meant to question the authenticity of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), was called off in Markadwadi village in Malshiras assembly constituency in Solapur district on Tuesday. The villagers cancelled the exercise after the police and local administration warned them of legal action for breaching prohibitory orders. Around 200 police personnel descended on this small village, 11 km from Malshiras, and initially charged 17 people with flouting prohibitory orders and “spreading rumors and fear in the community”.

On being charged by the police, Jankar said, “We have a right to know the truth of voting. We are not technical experts, so we wanted to conduct a ballot-paper re-poll. Is there any democracy left in this country? When we want to speak up, who will give us justice? If no one listens to the people’s voice, it will lead to chaos in the country.”

Jankar pointed out that despite being the winning candidate from the Malshiras assembly constituency, he had doubts about EVMs. “I will speak to legal experts and fight injustice,” he said. Deputy superintendent of police, Naryan Shirgaonkar, did not respond to phone calls and text messages. Kumar Ashirwad, district magistrate, Solapur, said that section 144 had been imposed in Markadwadi but MLA Uttam Jankar violated it, so police filed an FIR against him and others.