Cross-voting in council polls: 'Traitors' identified, will be punished: Nana Patole
The Hindu
Maharashtra Congress president vows to punish "traitors" who cross-voted in legislative council elections, sparking political turmoil.
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole has said "traitors" from the party who cross-voted in the recent elections to 11 legislative council seats have been identified and will be punished.
“The same “traitors” had ensured the defeat of the Congress leader Chandrakant Handore in the council elections two years ago,” Mr. Patole claimed on July 13.
"A trap was laid this time and they have been identified. They will be punished so that no one dares to betray the party again," Mr. Patole told reporters in Mumbai, without taking any name.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, while talking to reporters on July 14, said the Congress has accepted that cross-voting took place and they will take action accordingly.
"The Central government is going to observe the imposition of Emergency as 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas'. Isn't it unconstitutional to get MLCs elected by MLAs who are facing disqualification? Isn't it unconstitutional to purchase MLAs by bribing them? BJP is the real murderer of the Constitution," Mr. Raut alleged.
Following a split in the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Shiv Sena (UBT) headed by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) had moved court seeking disqualification of MLAs of the parties led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.
The ruling 'Mahyuti' in the State, comprising the Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde, the BJP and Ajit Pawar-headed NCP, on July 12 won all the nine seats it contested in the biennial elections to 11 seats in the legislative council.