Latest news with #Jagtap
Time of India
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
EVM verification for NCP (SP) candidate Jagtap cancelled for current schedule over pending HC plea
1 2 3 Pune: The state Chief Electoral Office (CEO) has cancelled the current scheduled inspection of EVM-VVPAT machines for NCP (SP) candidate Prashant Jagtap from the Hadapsar Assembly constituency, citing a pending petition by him before Bombay High Court. The verification process, originally scheduled from July 25 to August 2, involved an inspection of 27 EVMs, as appealed by Jagtap. However, the CEO office, in a letter to Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), stated that the process cannot proceed as Jagtap's petition is pending for hearing in the court. The letter refers to a fresh application filed by Jagtap before the high court on July 8, seeking restoration of his earlier petition. "Since the petition is pending, the inspection and verification of the burnt memory and microcontroller of EVMs stands cancelled for these dates," the communication from the CEO office said. It stated that the petitioner, too, requested for stopping the process of scheduled verification due to the pending petition. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune Pune collector and district election officer Jitendra Dudi said that the inspection has been put on hold for now. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo "The verification process for the Hadapsar candidate will not take place. However, the schedule will go ahead for NCP (SP) candidate Sachin Ghodke from Khadakwasla," he said. The collector had sought guidance on the issue from the CEO office. Jagtap told TOI he received an official intimation regarding his application being put on hold for now due to the petition before the court. "I have been informed that due to the pending status of my petition in the high court, the verification cannot be conducted at this stage. Once the matter is disposed of, I will seek verification again," he said. The election petition filed by Jagtap was initially dismissed by the Bombay High Court on January 31. However, he subsequently filed a restoration application, and the court restored the petition through its order dated March 25. As the petitioner failed to comply with the directions outlined in that order, the high court dismissed the petition again on June 11. Following this second dismissal, the counsel for the Election Commission of India (ECI) informed the authorities that the EVM-VVPAT machines involved in the case could be released. Subsequently, the ECI issued a letter on June 25, directing that the pending election verification activity be carried out. Accordingly, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which is tasked with EVM maintenance and verification, was informed on July 7 to prepare a schedule. BEL responded on July 12, appointing engineers and finalising the verification process to begin from July 25. However, on July 8, Jagtap filed a fresh application seeking restoration of the election petition, which is currently pending before the high court. On July 22, he submitted a request to halt the verification process in light of the pending plea. Taking cognisance of the new developments, the under secretary and deputy chief electoral officer wrote to BEL, instructing them to cancel the scheduled inspection and verification of the EVMs and VVPATs, specifically the "burnt memory" of the machines related to the Hadapsar Assembly segment. Officials said any further action on the verification will depend on the outcome of the latest petition pending before the high court. Pune: The state Chief Electoral Office (CEO) has cancelled the current scheduled inspection of EVM-VVPAT machines for NCP (SP) candidate Prashant Jagtap from the Hadapsar Assembly constituency, citing a pending petition by him before Bombay High Court. The verification process, originally scheduled from July 25 to August 2, involved an inspection of 27 EVMs, as appealed by Jagtap. However, the CEO office, in a letter to Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), stated that the process cannot proceed as Jagtap's petition is pending for hearing in the court. The letter refers to a fresh application filed by Jagtap before the high court on July 8, seeking restoration of his earlier petition. "Since the petition is pending, the inspection and verification of the burnt memory and microcontroller of EVMs stands cancelled for these dates," the communication from the CEO office said. It stated that the petitioner, too, requested for stopping the process of scheduled verification due to the pending petition. Pune collector and district election officer Jitendra Dudi said that the inspection has been put on hold for now. "The verification process for the Hadapsar candidate will not take place. However, the schedule will go ahead for NCP (SP) candidate Sachin Ghodke from Khadakwasla," he said. The collector had sought guidance on the issue from the CEO office. Jagtap told TOI he received an official intimation regarding his application being put on hold for now due to the petition before the court. "I have been informed that due to the pending status of my petition in the high court, the verification cannot be conducted at this stage. Once the matter is disposed of, I will seek verification again," he said. The election petition filed by Jagtap was initially dismissed by the Bombay High Court on January 31. However, he subsequently filed a restoration application, and the court restored the petition through its order dated March 25. As the petitioner failed to comply with the directions outlined in that order, the high court dismissed the petition again on June 11. Following this second dismissal, the counsel for the Election Commission of India (ECI) informed the authorities that the EVM-VVPAT machines involved in the case could be released. Subsequently, the ECI issued a letter on June 25, directing that the pending election verification activity be carried out. Accordingly, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which is tasked with EVM maintenance and verification, was informed on July 7 to prepare a schedule. BEL responded on July 12, appointing engineers and finalising the verification process to begin from July 25. However, on July 8, Jagtap filed a fresh application seeking restoration of the election petition, which is currently pending before the high court. On July 22, he submitted a request to halt the verification process in light of the pending plea. Taking cognisance of the new developments, the under secretary and deputy chief electoral officer wrote to BEL, instructing them to cancel the scheduled inspection and verification of the EVMs and VVPATs, specifically the "burnt memory" of the machines related to the Hadapsar Assembly segment. Officials said any further action on the verification will depend on the outcome of the latest petition pending before the high court.
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
NCP (SP) member Prashant Jagtap's EVM re-check on hold, district office seeks EC nod due to pending HC plea
The Pune district election office is awaiting guidance from the chief electoral office regarding NCP (SP) member Prashant Jagtap's participation in the upcoming EVM re-verification process, due to his pending election petition in the Bombay High Court. PUNE: The district election office has sought guidance from the chief electoral office on whether NCP (SP) member Prashant Jagtap can participate in the upcoming EVM re-verification process since his election petition is pending in Bombay high court. Jagtap, who contested from Hadapsar, and Sachin Dhodke from Khadakwasla, were scheduled for EVM memory and microcontroller verification between July 25 and Aug 2. Dhodke's application is being processed. District collector Jitendra Dudi told TOI that the process for Jagtap will proceed only after a clear directive from the chief electoral office. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune ECI norms state that candidates with pending election petitions are ineligible for EVM verification. The chief electoral office has written to ECI seeking clarification in Jagtap's case. He told TOI that a communication from the district election office is awaited. "Since my petition challenging the election process is in the high court, I've been informed that the verification cannot go ahead until further orders," he said. The district election office has informed him that a final call will be taken after the chief electoral office's reply. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Up to 70% off | Shop Sale Libas Undo Dudi clarified that a video posted by Jagtap on social media was misleading and not in accordance with ECI process. "The ECI's standard operating procedure does not allow counting of VVPAT slips. Only the vote count on the control unit will be displayed," he added. Five of the 11 candidates from Pune district who applied for EVM verification withdrew. Of the remaining, five had election petitions and one was dismissed. Only Jagtap and Dhodke remained eligible until the former's petition posed a hurdle. Poll officials said 29 EVM sets will be verified and candidates have paid Rs 13.68 lakh (Rs 47,200 per polling station) as fees.
Indian Express
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Amid Maharashtra poll ‘fraud' row, decks cleared for EVM verification, mock polls in Pune seats
Months after several losing Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidates alleged irregularities in the November 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Pune district election officer has ordered inspection and verification of electronic voting machines (EVMs) of 27 polling stations in the Hadapsar constituency on an application of NCP(SP) candidate Prashant Jagtap from July 25 to August 2. Jagtap was defeated by sitting NCP legislator Chetan Tupe by 7,122 votes. Jagtap has deposited a fee of Rs 12.74 lakh to the district election officer or collector for the EVMs' verification in 27 of the constituency's booths, where he believes he should have gained an upper hand. The checking and verification of the 27 EVMs, which will also involve mock polls, will be done at the Bhosari godown in the district, where the voting machines are stored in a strong room. The entire process will be carried out as per the Election Commission (EC)'s standard operating procedure (SOP). Each EVM comprising a control unit and a VVPAT (voter verified paper audit trail) machine with 1,400 votes would be checked, official sources said. Two EVMs would be verified on July 25, followed by the checking of four voting machines each day for the next six days, with the remaining one machine to be verified on August 2. According to the deputy district election officer and deputy collector, Meenal Kalaskar, 27 EVMs' data will be verified, which were registered during the counting of votes in November 2024, in the presence of the candidate's representatives. 'The data will be erased and a mock poll for each EVM consisting of a control unit and a VVPAT will be conducted to further verify the operation of the machine,' Kalaskar said, adding that a final report will be submitted to the EC for any further action. Jagtap said the checking and verification of EVMs would 'expose' alleged electoral malpractices due to which, he claimed, he lost the polls in Hadapsar to his NCP rival. He said he would seek re-election once it is proved that the EVMs had 'discrepancies' during the polls. While the Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP) is an ally of the MVA, the NCP, headed by Ajit Pawar, is a key constituent of the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti coalition. Chetan Tupe, however, rejected Jagtap's allegations, saying that 'The defeated candidate will achieve nothing out of this exercise. It is a mere mock poll. It has been proved time and again that EVMs are accurate. The defeated candidate has raised doubts about EVMs, so it is between Jagtap and Election Commission.' He also said, 'I have been elected and declared a legislator constitutionally. I have nothing to worry about. There is no question of any re-election.' The mock drill of each EVM is done before the start of voting and only verified machines are used in actual polling, Tupe said, pointing out that the verification of five EVMs of each Assembly constituency had also been done after the counting of votes, in which votes polled are matched with the VVPAT slips. 'Both times, there were no problems in EVMs. It will be the same now,' he said, adding Jagtap should accept his defeat. The incumbent Mahayuti, which includes the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena besides the NCP (SP), swept the Assembly polls, winning 235 of the total 288 seats as against the MVA's 50, with the latter comprising the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP. However, barely five months earlier, in June 2024, the MVA had won 30 of the total 48 seats in the Lok Sabha polls in the state as against the Mahayuti's 17. So, in the wake of the Assembly poll results, the MVA leaders alleged that manipulated EVMs and rigged polls caused their debacle, with some of their losing candidates challenging it before the state election authorities too. The Pune administration's July 25-August 2 exercise will also involve the district's Khadakwasla Assembly constituency. The losing NCP(SP) candidate in Khadakwasla, Sachin Dodke, has sought the inspection and verification of only two EVMs though. He was defeated by BJP candidate Bhimrao Tapkir by 52,000 votes, who bagged the seat for the fourth consecutive time. Significantly, an NCP(SP) candidate, Uttamrao Jankar, also alleged tampering of EVMs despite winning his election from the Malshiras Assembly seat in Solapur district against the BJP candidate by over 13,000 votes. He extended his support to a mock poll with ballot papers proposed by the people of Markadwadi village in his constituency to 'verify' the Assembly poll results. However, the Markadwadi villagers' proposed ballot paper exercise on December 3 last year was called off after police warned of action citing prohibitory orders issued by the district administration. 'We will take up this issue with the EC and judiciary, we will not stop until we get justice,' Jankar had then said.
News18
21-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Pune district election officer orders recount of votes in Hadapsar assembly seat
Pune, Jul 21 (PTI) The Pune district election officer has ordered a recount of votes polled in the Hadapsar assembly constituency in the November 2024 Maharashtra elections, months after one of the losing candidates alleged irregularities in the counting process. The recounting of votes will take place at Bhosari from July 25 to August 2, said the district election officer in a release on Monday without providing further details. In November 2024, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidate from Hadapsar in Pune district, Prashant Jagtap, had demanded a recount of votes in electronic voting machines and voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) paper slips in the constituency after raising objections over the counting process and alleging manipulation of EVMs. In Hadapsar, the main contest was between the rival factions of the NCP and Jagtap narrowly lost the election by 7,122 votes. Chetan Tupe of the ruling NCP was declared elected from the seat with 1,34,810 votes, while rival NCP (SP)'s Jagtap received 1,27,688 votes. Objections were raised by losing candidates in several assembly constituencies in the state over the counting process after the assembly elections and Hadapsar was one of them. The Election Commission granted permission for a recount of 27 EVMs and VVPAT machines from the Hadapsar assembly constituency. However, the instructions given for this recount were to erase the actual voting data from the machines and conduct a mock poll for the recount. Jagtap, along with others, challenged this decision of the EC in the Supreme Court. The Pune district collector, who acted as election officer during the polls, has now ordered a recount of votes in Hadapsar. Meanwhile, Jagtap expressed confidence the 'vote tampering" that occurred in the Hadapsar constituency eight months ago will be exposed after recounting. PTI COR SPK RSY view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 23:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
15-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
The Pune startup founder whom Narendra Modi has invited to Delhi's Red Fort on Independence Day
If everything had gone according to plan, Krunal Jagtap would have been earning more than Rs 8 lakh per annum at a major ed-tech firm in Mumbai. Instead, the Pune-based founder of HAB Biomass Pvt Ltd is going to be a guest of honour at the Independence Day celebration in Delhi's Red Fort on invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jagtap, a mechanical engineer, had quit his campus placement job in 2016 because the work wasn't what he had expected. Belonging to a lower middle-class family, Jagtap returned to his village, Markal, on the outskirts of Pune, with a question, 'Kal se karna kya hai? (What do I do from tomorrow?).' It was a very disturbing kind of feeling. Jagtap has had a singular rule since his student days – when in doubt on any matter, consult the leading expert on the subject. Hence, Jagtap directly walked into the office of the agriculture commissioner Anil Deshmukh and told him that he wanted to do 'something' in the field of rural resources. In 2016, sustainability was yet to become a buzzword and Deshmukh directed Jagtap towards organic fertilizers. With the guidance of several bureaucrats, Jagtap became a leading producer of vermicompost. His clients ranged from nurseries, who appreciated quality, to high-end apartments with lavish balcony gardens, whose owners had the wallet to pay for a good product. By 2018, Jagtap was among the few from India to be exporting vermicompost to Qatar. 'But, I was on a search to find other ways to turn waste into gold,' says Jagtap. It was Instagram that turned Jagtap's attention to a raw material that was lying, literally, under his nose – agricultural waste. Jagtap remembered himself as a young child who once held fire in his hands, ready to burn agricultural waste as everyone around him did. 'Even then, I used to wonder, 'What if there's another way? What if this waste could become something valuable?' he says. HAB Biomass – the HAB stands for 'Halcyon and Bonanza' – started harnessing biomass, such as crop residues and unwanted materials from farm and livestock, into biomass briquettes and pellets for clean energy, biochar and vermicompost for soil health and nutritious cattle feed blocks for livestock. India produces 350 million tonnes of agro waste every year, according to a survey by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The work of companies, such as HAB Biomass, is of great value. HAB Biomass procures agricultural and biomass waste directly from farmers through village-level collection centres. Their patented mobile units travel to the source of the waste and convert them into pellets, briquettes and engineered biochar on-site. 'This decentralized model minimizes transportation costs and carbon emissions,' says Jagtap. According to a statement from the company, 'By converting waste into valuable products at the source, we empower rural communities by creating job opportunities and fostering economic growth. Our model provides employment opportunities, supports sustainable farming practices, and contributes to the local economy.' Jagtap continues to work with leaders in the field, such as IIT Dhanbad, which are converting biomass into green hydrogen. He is focused on getting it right than getting it fast. The attitude has caught the attention of experts. The Pune International Centre (PIC), which scouts for social impact innovators, discovered him in 2023. He is being mentored by Ram Iyer and Sangeeta Kale from PIC. Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia appointed Jagtap as a member of the National Task Force, Ministry of Steel for the Green Steel Initiative. The entrepreneur has also received several awards and honours. 'A lot of startups fall apart because they are in a rush to scale. My opinion is that we will scale, 100 per cent we will do. But, let's get things right first,' he says. Dipanita Nath is interested in the climate crisis and sustainability. She has written extensively on social trends, heritage, theatre and startups. She has worked with major news organizations such as Hindustan Times, The Times of India and Mint. ... Read More
