Babanrao Lonikar lands in a fix, as Congress files petition to ECI

Maharashtra Minister Babanrao Lonikar has reportedly landed into trouble after he was caught on camera saying he faces no problem in winning the upcoming assembly polls since he has "distributed money." Lonikar is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Partur in Jalna district of central Maharashtra. He is the Minister of Water Supply and Sanitation in the Maharashtra government. Further reports stated that Congress has accused him of violating the model code of conduct. On the other hand, the BJP has asked for the accurate audio-video clip of Lonikar. Further, the Congress has filed a petition to the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking for the cancellation of Lonikar's candidature. The Maharashtra Assembly polls will be conducted on October 21. 

Ratnakar Mahajan writes letter to the ECI

According to reports, the state Congress vice-president, Ratnakar Mahajan, in his letter to the ECI stated that Lonikar was caught on camera violating the model code of conduct at an election rally in Jalna. According to Mahajan, "This proves that the minister is using corrupt means to get elected. The ECI should file a case of violation of the model code of conduct against the minister and cancel his candidature immediately." In his letter to the Chief Electoral Officer, Mahajan also attached a link of the minister's speech. 

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BJP chief spokesperson retaliates

The BJP chief spokesperson, Madhav Bhandari retaliated to the Congress and stated that instead of levelling allegations against Lonikar, they should follow a proper procedure into the matter. According to him, "The Congress party can file a complaint with the Election Commission which will first verify the alleged clip. Proper procedure should be followed rather than levelling allegations against a candidate. We will welcome the outcome."

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Maharashtra Assembly polls

According to the Election Commission (EC), the 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly elections will be held on October 21, and the counting of the polls will take place on October 24. Further, the elections will be concluded on October 27, as stated by the Chief Election Commission (CEC), Sunil Arora. According to the EC, Maharashtra's assembly term expires on November 9. The Haryana Assembly elections will be held simultaneously.  

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(WITH PTI INPUTS)