EVM "hacking" controversy: Who is Ravindra Waikar, Shiv Sena MP from Mumbai North West?
Ravindra Dattaram Waikar contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as Shiv Sena candidate against Eknath Shinde for the Mumbai North West Assembly seat and won with 48 votes.
A fresh political controversy erupted after Mid-Day reported that Ravindra Waikar, a relative of the Shiv Sena candidate for the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency, was caught "connecting" his mobile phone to the internet and talking during the counting of votes on June 4. Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
With opposition parties, including the Congress, questioning the reliability of EVMs, the Bharatiya Janata Party has attacked opposition leaders and demanded the Election Commission of India to prosecute all those who spread the reports and "amplify lies".
Rahul Gandhi and others on Sunday also cited a post by the social media platform's chairman Elon Musk.
However, Vandana Suryavanshi, returning officer for Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency, dismissed the Mid-Day report as a "hoax" and said the paper had filed a defamation complaint against her. She added that EVMs are standalone systems that are not programmable and have no wireless communication capabilities.
Who is Rabindra Waikar?
Rabindra Dattaram Waikar contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency as the Shiv Sena candidate led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and won the seat by just 48 votes.
Rabindra Waikar, once a close aide of Uddhav Thackeray and under central surveillance, joined Eknath Shinde's camp on March 10.
Political background
Ravindra Waikar was the MP from Jogeshwari East three times before becoming an MP.
He started as a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) councillor and served four terms.
He was also the chairman of the BMC standing committee from 2006 to 2009.
Ministerial roles
Ravindra Waikar served as a minister in both the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) governments.
Financial charges
Ravindra Waikar has been accused of financial embezzlement on several occasions. In 2016, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam accused him of illegally occupying public land in Aarey Milk Colony and using Congress funds to build a gymnasium.
In 2020, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya alleged that the Thackeray and Waikar families were involved in financial transactions. He alleged that Thackeray's wife Rashmi and Waikar's wife Manisha had purchased 21 plots of land in Korai village in Murud taluka, Raigad, from Anvay Naik, his wife Akshata Naik and their daughter Adnya Naik. Anvay Naik and his mother committed suicide in 2018, reported the Indian Express.
Education and Net Worth
Ravindra Waikar is a graduate, specialising in Economics, Salaries and Allowances, Government of Maharashtra. According to his election affidavit, Ravindra Waikar's total assets are listed at Rs 54.5 crore and liabilities at Rs 4.5 crore.
He declared his annual income at Rs 46.9 million.
Allegations during the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections
The midday report stated that Ravindra Waikar's brother-in-law Mangesh Pandilkar had used a mobile phone to "unlock" EVMs during the vote counting on June 4. Returning officer Vandana Suryavanshi and Mumbai police rejected these allegations.
Mangesh Pandilkar and Election Officer Dinesh Gurav were arrested by the Vanraj police under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code for violating the ban on use of mobile phones inside counting centres by election authorities.
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