MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has issued a summons to BJP MP Narayan Rane in response to a plea by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vinayak Raut. Raut's petition seeks the cancellation of Rane's election victory from the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency, where Rane won by a margin of 47,858 votes.
Rane defeated Raut, securing 4,48,514 votes compared to Raut's 4,00,656 votes. Raut's plea, filed last month, alleges that Rane won the election through "fraudulent means" and seeks the cancellation of Rane's election, a five-year ban on contesting or voting, and directions for a fresh election in the constituency.
Raut has also requested the court to restrain Rane from continuing as the MP for Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg until the matter is resolved. He has alleged that a video surfaced after the poll campaign ended, showing Rane's supporters distributing money to voters while showing them an EVM and asking them to vote for Rane through "illegal and unfair" means. Raut claims this violated the Representation of People Act, 1951, which mandates that campaign activities cease 48 hours before elections.
The court has scheduled a further hearing for September 12 and has sought Rane's response to the plea. Raut has requested that an independent committee be formed to investigate the videos.
Earlier, Raut had filed a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra in May, but with no response, he proceeded to the high court.