The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been placed in an awkward position following its own MLA Anil Gote demanding an inquiry into allegations about the recent municipal elections in Dhule being illegally swayed in favour of the BJP.

Gote, while addressing a press conference regarding this issue in Mumbai today, alleged that Girish Mahajan (Maharashtra Minister for Water Resources and Medical Education), Subhash Bhambre (Union Minister of State for Defence) and Jayakumar Rawal (Maharashtra Minister for Tourism and Employment Guarantee Scheme) had tampered with the election EVM machines.

“I have already spoken to the DGP, Maharashtra Police, Datta Padsalgikar to appoint an officer to investigate this matter, besides also urging the Maharashtra Election Commissioner J H Sahariya to take necessary action in this regard,” he said.

Talking to this correspondent, Gote alleged that the EVM machines had been tampered with in such way that the hackers had managed to make changes in the election results in favour of the BJP. “I am demanding an independent investigation by an IPS-level officer or a High Court judge as, since we are living in a democratic system, maintaining the voters confidence in elections is very important,” he said, adding “If this is the situation today, then what is the need of holding elections?”

“There were no mobile towers earlier within the vicinity of the godown housing the EVM machines, but these towers were installed – on a war footing – about 400 to 500 metres from this godown. Also, it is mandatory to obtain the required permission from the Municipal authorities before setting up such mobile towers,” he said while demanding an inquiry as to how such towers had been erected without prior consent of the concerned authorities.

To a question whether he would continue to remain in the BJP in the wake of this EVM-Hacking scandal, the MLA emphatically replied “I will continue to fight for truth and justice — while remaining within the BJP party itself. I will not meet anybody or go to anybody’s doorstep in regard to these issues,” he added.