According to the latest reports, Congress has demanded that Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections in Mumbai as well as other cities in Maharashtra be held through ballot paper instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Based on accounts, the president of Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC), Bhai Jagtap, wrote to state chief minister Uddhav Thackeray as well as deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar on May 5, demanding that the BMC elections and polls for other civic bodies in Maharashtra, as well as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, be done through paper ballots.
Jagtap, in accordance with narratives, believes this should be done by taking into account the doubts about the integrity and security of the EVMs. Jagtap says that internationally, countries have shifted to utilizing ballot papers instead of EVMs.
He reportedly also alleged a scam in the civic body's project to put up sewage treatment plants at six locations that include Worli, Bandra, Dharavi, Versova, Ghatkopar and Bhandup.
It has been reported that he elaborated on how in 2020, the civic authority had decided to establish the plants at an estimated cost of INR 16,412 crore, however, the tenders were scrapped since the bids were over 30-60 per cent higher.
He added that in 2022, the BMC decided that the cost for it would be INR 23,447 crore which was 42 per cent greater than the 2020 estimate. Jagtap believes this is higher than the cost of similar projects that have been implemented in Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, as cited in reports.
The Congress member has threatened that the Mumbai Congress would soon approach the Supreme Court (SC) against what he believes is a scam. He opined that an expert committee will be appointed by the SC to finalise the cost.
Also Read: Elections In Maharashtra Cannot Be Held Without OBC Reservation: Chhagan Bhujbal
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