The Vanrai Police Station has filed an FIR against Mangesh Pandilkar, a relative of newly-elected Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Waikar from the Mumbai North-West constituency. Pandilkar is accused of using a mobile phone inside the counting centre at NESCO, Goregaon, on June 4, in breach of Election Commission guidelines.
The action follows a complaint lodged by Arora Surinder Mohan, the Bharat Jan Aadhar Party candidate from the same constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Mohan reported the incident, leading to the FIR being registered.
According to ANI, the FIR also names Dinesh Gurav, a polling personnel, for his alleged involvement in the incident.
Prior to Mohan’s complaint, objections about the counting procedure had been raised by Amol Kirtikar, a Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate. Kirtikar expressed dissatisfaction with the process and planned to challenge Waikar’s victory in the Bombay High Court, although he did not specifically mention the mobile phone usage in his objections.
The incident came to light when representatives of various candidates noticed someone using a mobile phone inside the counting centre. As per Election Commission guidelines, the use of electronic devices such as phones, laptops, tablets, and calculators during the counting process is strictly prohibited to maintain the integrity of the electoral process.
The Vanrai police have launched an investigation into the matter to ascertain the details and implications of the alleged breach. This development has intensified the scrutiny of the recent election results in the Mumbai North-West constituency, adding to the ongoing controversy.