Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray claimed on Monday that the BJP would have secured only 40 seats in the recent Lok Sabha polls if they were conducted in a free and fair manner.
In a press conference, Thackeray called the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha seat results ‘fraudulent,’ as Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Amol Kirtikar lost narrowly to Ravindra Waikar from the Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
‘Our victory was stolen through misuse of official machinery,’ Thackeray asserted, announcing his party’s plan to file a court petition challenging the results.
‘If the elections had been fair, the BJP would have won only 40 seats, not 240,’ he argued.
Meanwhile, Mumbai’s Vanrai police have filed a case against Waikar’s brother-in-law for allegedly using a mobile phone at a counting centre in Goregaon on June 4, when the election results were announced.
‘We suspect the mobile phone seized during the probe might have been switched,’ claimed Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former state minister Anil Parab.
Parab urged the Election Commission of India to take suo motu action and declare Kirtikar the winner based on available evidence.
‘The election result is suspicious. We are pursuing legal action and will move the court shortly,’ he added.
Parab pointed out irregularities in the counting process after the 19th round, where their candidate led by 650 votes.
‘Forms 17C and 17CII were not provided to candidates in various locations,’ he claimed, alongside questioning constant phone calls made to the returning officer of the constituency.
