Maharashtra Zilla Parishad polls: Shiv Sena MLA Vilas Bhumre's minor son ‘inked’ at booth; 3 suspended

CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: Three persons on Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti poll duty were suspended on Sunday after Shiv Sena MLA Vilas Bhumre took his minor son into the EVM booth in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar's Paithan taluka a day earlier violating secrecy and other norms associated with the voting process.

The incident, in which fingers of both Bhumre and his son were marked with ink, took place on Saturday in Pachod booth. A video of it went viral on social media, leading to district collector Dilip Swami, also the poll returning officer, ordering a probe.

A release from the district administration said head of polling booth 58/7 Dilipa Narwade, booth officer Sangita Kedar and homeguard Renuka Bomble have been placed under suspension till the inquiry report into the incident is submitted.

It said Narwade and Kedar are school teachers who were drafted in for poll duty.

Bhumre, MLA from Paithan here, downplayed the incident when queried by reporters.

"When my finger was being inked after voting, my son too wanted ink on his finger. He is small. How will he understand anything about EVMs and its buttons? He is small and just came with me," Bhumre claimed.

Speaking earlier, Collector Swami said he had ordered a probe into the incident after he came to know about it from the viral video and through the media.

The concerned officer in Paithan taluka has been asked to give a detailed explanation on the chain of events, he had said.

The collector had promised strict action against those responsible for the violation.

Bhumre (40) is the son of senior Shiv Sena leader Sandipanrao Bhumre, who was five-time Paithan MLA, and is currently Lok Sabha MP from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad).

A similar incident took place on the same day in Solapur as well.

In a viral video, candidate Arjun Sinh Mohite Patil's son was seen standing next to him inside a polling booth at Yashwant Nagar in Akluj, and pressing the EVM button. Patil later claimed the boy only wanted to see how a vote is cast.