Court Blow for Kirtikar: HC Dismisses Plea Over Waikar's Narrow Election Win

The Bombay High Court dismissed Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Amol Kirtikar’s petition challenging Ravindra Waikar's narrow victory in the Mumbai Lok Sabha seat. The court found the allegations vague, failing to disclose a cause of action necessary for trial. Kirtikar claimed violations in the vote counting process.

The Bombay High Court has dismissed a petition by Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Amol Kirtikar, which challenged the victory of Ravindra Waikar, his rival from the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde. Kirtikar alleged discrepancies in the vote count after losing a Lok Sabha seat by just 48 votes in Mumbai.

Justice Sandeep Marne of the High Court noted the allegations in Kirtikar's plea were vague and lacked the necessary grounds to take the matter to trial. The court observed that maintaining an election petition requires a clear cause of action, which Kirtikar's plea failed to demonstrate.

Kirtikar contended there were serious procedural lapses by Election Commission officials, which affected the results. He claimed 333 void votes were accepted due to impersonation. Despite these claims, the court found insufficient pleading to consider the case, hence rejecting the petition.

(With inputs from agencies.)