Congress Urges Ban on BJP MLA from Voting Due to Legal Issues

Congress has requested the returning officer for the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections to disallow BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad from voting. Gaikwad, accused of shooting a Shiv Sena leader, is in judicial custody and legally barred from voting. The elections are being held at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai.

Congress has called on the returning officer overseeing the biennial elections for the Maharashtra Legislative Council to prohibit BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad from casting his vote. Gaikwad is accused of firing upon a Shiv Sena leader inside a police station and is currently in judicial custody.

In a letter addressed to the returning officer, Abhijit Vanzari, Congress candidate Pradnya Satav's representative, Abhijit Vanzari, argued that under Section 62(5) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, Gaikwad is ineligible to vote.

'We hear Gaikwad will be coming to Vidhan Bhavan to vote. Please stop him from doing so illegally… and protect constitutional values without coming under any pressure. Or else, we will have to take legal recourse,' the letter stated.

Gaikwad, a representative of the Kalyan East assembly constituency, has been in judicial custody since his February arrest for allegedly opening fire on a Shiv Sena functionary at a police station in Thane district over a land dispute. The biennial elections for 11 council seats are taking place at the Vidhan Bhavan complex in south Mumbai between 9 am and 4 pm on Friday.