Maharashtra: Congress MLA Denies Cross-Voting Allegations, Calls Them False

Mumbai: Even as the Maharashtra Congress has claimed that it has identified seven MLAs, who cross-voted in the last week’s legislative council election, Igatpuri MLA Hiraman Khoskar on Tuesday alleged that “some people” are defaming him by dragging his name in the controversy. The MLA said that several legislators are unhappy after Nana Patole became the state president because he does not treat them with respect. However, he said he did not defy the party and voted as per instructions.

Maharashtra Congress has sent a report to the party high command and action will be taken against the seven MLAs, senior leader Vijay Wadettiwar said. Though the Congress has not disclosed names of the said legislators, Khoskar said he is being defamed for no reason.

The Igatpuri MLA said that his name is being dragged into the controversy so that he can be denied ticket for the next Assembly election. “I met deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar regarding the development work in my constituency. But I did not cross-vote in the council election,” he said.

Mr. Khoskar said that all Congress MLAs were kept at a five-star hotel in Mumbai a day before the election and they were told how to vote. According to him, 25 Congress MLAs were told to vote for the party’s candidate Pradnya Satav, seven MLAs were told to vote for Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Milind Narvekar and six MLAs were asked to vote for PWP leader Jayant Patil.

“Ms. Satav got 25 votes. Mr. Narvekar got six Congress votes. So one MLA cross-voted. Nobody knows who it was. Jayant Patil did not get a single Congress vote. Which means all six MLAs cross-voted. But nobody is talking about them, but I am being defamed even though I followed the party’s instructions entirely,” Khosekar said.

PWP chief Jayant Patil, who is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, was eliminated after the second round as he received only 12 votes, including one MLA of PWP and 11 MLAs from the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP.

The voting for 11 MLC seats, which were elected by MLAs, was done through secret ballot. Thus, technically Congress cannot prove which legislator voted for whom. However, Wadettiwar said that the party has identified seven “traitors” and action will be taken against them. “We know exactly who voted for whom. State president Nana Patole has sent his report to the high command. I am sure the high command will take action against these MLAs.”

This was not the first that Congress MLAs cross-voted in the council election. In the biennial election two years ago, Congress’s first choice candidate Chandrakant Handore suffered a shock defeat because of the massive cross-voting. Some of the Congress MLAs, who were told to vote for Handore, suspected to have voted for the Mahayuti candidates as well as Congress’s second choice candidate Bhai Jagtap, who defeated Handore after the second round of counting.