Shiv Sena attacks Election Commission, dubs it as 'Tawaif' of a political party

Amid ongoing row over a glitch in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during bypolls, Shiv Sena has slammed the Election Commission (EC) and called it a 'Tawaif' (Mistress) of a political party.

The by-polls for four Lok Sabha seats and nine assembly constituencies were held on Monday across 10 states.

However, polling in Palghar and Bhandara-Gondiya seats in Maharashtra and Kairana in Uttar Pradesh were marred by instances of malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter-verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs).

The EC officer had reportedly also said that EVMs were malfunctioning due to a heat wave.

"Our people caught BJP workers red-handed distributing money during Palghar bypoll, but Election Commission did not take any action, if similar inaction is shown by EC all over India, then it means EC is acting like a 'Tawaif' (Mistress) of a political party," Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut told ANI.

"People are losing faith in the voting system," he added.

In Bhandara-Gondiya, the BJP and the NCP were the main rivals in the bypoll, held after the resignation of BJP MP Nana Patole.

In Palghar, the bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting BJP MP Chintaman Wanaga. The bickering BJP ally Shiv Sena has fielded the late MP's son Srinivas in a bid to garner sympathy vote.

The counting of votes will be taken up on May 31 along with Palghar (ST) constituency.

Ahead of Palghar bypoll, party chief Uddhav Thackeray had released a video of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asking Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers to use all possible means to win the Palghar Lok Sabha seat.

However, the BJP later alleged that the clip has been tampered with.

(With agency inputs)