NCP candidate, wife booked for poll code violation as they perform 'puja' of EVM in Pune's Bhor

Police on Tuesday registered a case against an NCP candidate contesting local elections in Maharashtras Pune district for allegedly performing puja of an Electronic Voting Machine EVM inside a polling booth during the local body polls, officials said.

Police on Tuesday registered a case against an NCP candidate contesting local elections in Maharashtra's Pune district for allegedly performing 'puja' of an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) inside a polling booth during the local body polls, officials said. The incident took place in Bhor. Elections to 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats were held on Tuesday. The complaint was registered after the centre in-charge of the polling booth approached the police with a complaint of poll code violation ''The particular incident took place after the mock poll and it is a clear cut violation of the model code of conduct. The centre in-charge tried to dissuade the candidate and his wife from performing the puja as it is a violation of the model of code of conduct, however the couple did not listen and performed the puja of an EVM,'' Bhor division's returning officer Prajakta Ghorpade said.

A mock poll is conducted before the voting process officially begins to check whether the machine is functioning properly or not. She said that the in-charge of the polling booth approached the Bhor police station and lodged a complaint against the candidate and his wife.

The video of NCP candidate Kedar Deshpande, who contested the election for the post of councillor in Bhor municipal council, and his wife performing the puja of EVM went viral on social media.

Speaking to PTI, senior inspector Appasaheb Pawar of the Bhor police station said a case was filed against the couple under relevant sections of the Representation of People Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and further investigation is on.

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