Mumbai, Jun 20 (PTI) The Congress on Monday alleged that two MLAs of the opposition BJP cast their votes in the Maharashtra Legislative Council polls with the help of assistants and submitted a complaint to poll officials.

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Voting for the elections to 10 MLC seats was held between 9 am and 4 pm at the Legislature Complex here.

All 285 eligible MLAs cast their vote, including some ailing legislators who were taken in wheelchairs inside the Legislature complex, an official said.

Senior Congress leader and Maharashtra minister Ashok Chavan said two legislators of BJP--Mukta Tilak and Laxman Jagtap- signed on the ECI's register. If they could sign on the register, there was no need for an assistant to be with them to fill in the preferential ballot paper during the election".

Tilak and Jagtap have allegedly taken assistance to cast their votes.

"The objection is raised by Congress party's candidates for the MLC election,'' said Chavan.

He said a written application objecting to the votes cast by Tilak and Jagtap has been submitted to the returning officer of the Election Commission of India. "Officials concerned will take a call on the objections raised by the Congress candidates," he added.

Tilak, who is suffering from a serious ailment, arrived in a car at the Vidhan Bhavan building after travelling from Pune. She was then taken inside the Legislature Complex in a wheelchair to cast her ballot.

Jagtap, who has been bed-ridden for a long time, arrived at the Vidhan Bhavan from Pune in an ambulance. He was also taken in a wheelchair to the central hall of the Vidhan Bhavan building to cast his vote.

However, the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Devendra Fadnavis, said, "We (BJP) had taken proper permission from the ECI to allow them (Tilak and Jagtap) to cast their votes with an assistant. It is highly insensitive to raise objections regarding the legislators who are unwell. It is an attempt to waste time."

It is to be noted that Tilak and Jagtap had taken similar permission from the ECI for casting their votes in the June 10 Rajya Sabha elections. Both the MLAs had cast their votes with assistants but no objections were raised on that day.

Former principal secretary to Vidhan Bhavan, Anant Kalse, said, "If a legislator is unwell, he or she can seek proper permission from the ECI to exercise the franchise with the help of an assistant. The assisting person should be above 18 years."

A total of 11 candidates are in the fray for the 10 seats, with the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress fielding two candidates each. The opposition BJP in the state has nominated five candidates.

In the tight contest, the role of Independents and smaller parties is being seen as crucial since the MVA is trying to avenge the embarrassing defeat handed by the BJP in the June 10 RS polls wherein Shiv Sena's second nominee, Sanjay Pawar, lost to BJP's Dhananjay Mahadik.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)