Pune ZP Polls: Nine Booked for Bogus Voting, Fake Aadhaar Cards Seized
In a significant crackdown on electoral malpractice, at least nine persons have been booked in separate cases of bogus voting during the Zilla Parishad (ZP) and Panchayat Samiti elections in Pune district, police confirmed. The incidents, which occurred on Friday, involved the seizure of fake Aadhaar cards and voting cards, raising concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.
First Incident: Six Accused Nabbed at Kesnand Polling Centre
In one case, vigilant citizens apprehended a group of six individuals, including a woman, on suspicion of bogus voting at the Jogeshwari Vidyalaya polling centre in Kesnand between 1:30 PM and 4:30 PM. Election officials conducted on-the-spot checks and alerted the police after allegedly recovering counterfeit Aadhaar cards and voting cards from the suspects. The group was subsequently taken into custody for further investigation.
Police Havaldar Balasaheb Haral filed a First Information Report (FIR) at the Wagholi police station. The six accused have been charged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 337, pertaining to forgery of public records, and 172, related to personation at elections. The accused include Mohammad Ehsan Shah (20), Arshad Roshan Ali (22), and Akhilesh Bijuprasad Kumar (20), all natives of Uttar Pradesh currently residing at a labour camp in Kesnand, along with Dilip Chavan (36), Premdas Ramchandra Rathod (30), and Ashwini Premdas Rathod (27), residents of Washim district in Maharashtra working as labourers in the Wagholi and Kesnand areas.
According to the FIR, Shah, Ali, and Kumar allegedly cast bogus votes using fake Aadhaar cards, while the other three were found in possession of fraudulent voting cards at the polling centre. Senior Police Inspector Nandakumar Gaikwad of Wagholi police station stated, "Except the woman, we have arrested the five men accused of bogus voting. All six are labourers. An investigation is underway to identify who provided the bogus Aadhaar and voting cards and directed them to the voting centre in Kesnand."
Second Incident: Three Accused in Haveli Taluka
In another incident, three persons, including two women, were nabbed for allegedly attempting bogus voting at a polling centre in Prayagdham village of Haveli taluka around 10:30 AM on Friday. Navnath Kanchan (41), the election officer on duty, lodged an FIR at the Uruli Kanchan police station in Pune rural. The accused have been identified as Suvarna Manohar Panchal (48), Vanita Mohan Tathe (38), and Lakshman Prakash Badgae, all residents of Kalepadal in the Hadapsar area of Pune city, with Badgae being a native of Bidar district in Karnataka.
All three have been booked under BNS Section 172 for personation at elections, though forgery-related sections have not been invoked yet. According to a press release issued on Sunday, Panchal allegedly attempted to vote in the name of Sunita Rajaram, Tathe tried to vote as Roshni Kishor Juremlani, and Badgae posed as Mahesh Haridas Kutwal using bogus voting cards. Police Inspector Sachin Wangade commented, "An FIR has been registered based on the complaint from the election official. Notices have been issued to the accused for further investigation."
Police Probe and Suspected Motives
Police are actively investigating how the accused procured the bogus voting cards and who instructed them to go to the polling centres. Authorities suspect that the individuals were promised money for bogus voting by local persons potentially linked to candidates contesting the ZP and Panchayat Samiti elections. This raises serious questions about the role of political operatives in facilitating electoral fraud.
In a related development, an offence was registered against Umesh Chavan (43), a resident of Wadaj in Junnar, for illegally using a mobile phone and taking photographs inside a polling centre in Junnar taluka around 5 PM on Friday. An FIR was lodged at the Junnar police station under BNS Section 223 for disobedience of orders by a public servant and provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
The incidents highlight ongoing challenges in ensuring free and fair elections, with authorities emphasizing the need for stringent measures to prevent such malpractices. The investigations are ongoing, with police working to uncover the broader networks involved in these fraudulent activities.
