Nashik: Independent candidate garlands voting machine, case registered

Nashik (Maharashtra) [India], May 20 : Amid the voting for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, an independent candidate from Nashik, Shantigiri Maharaj, put garland over the voting machine after casting his vote at a polling booth in the constituency on Monday.
Consequently, an FIR has been registered against him at Trimbakeshwar Police Station.
Notably, Nashik is among the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra that are undergoing voting in the fifth phase of the general elections.
Nashik is poised for a Shiv Sena vs. Shiv Sena (UBT) battle.
Nashik, situated on the banks of the river Godavari, is emerging as one of the fastest-growing cities in India.
It is made up of 6 assembly constituency segments: Sinnar, Nashik East, Nashik Central, Nashik West, Deolali (SC) and Igatpuri (ST).
With 31 candidates in the fray, the Nashik Lok Sabha constituency promises a dynamic and competitive electoral landscape.
Nashik parliamentary constituency will witness a face-off between Godse Hemant Tukaram from Shiv Sena and Rajabhau (Parag) Prakash Vaje from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).
Friends not long ago, Godse Hemant Tukaram, the sitting MP of Shiv Sena, and Rajabhau Vaje, are bitter foes in this election after the split in Sena.
Incidentally, both Godse and Waje hail from the politically influential Maratha community. Godse was elected MP in the 2014 and 2019 elections.
The Mahayuti, consisting of the BJP, the Shiv Sena and the NCP, ironed out the creases in their alliance in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second largest after Uttar Pradesh. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases, running from April 19 to June 1. The counting and results will be declared on June 4.
The voting started at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm, with those in line by the closing time still allowed to vote. As per the ECI, over 8.95 crore voters, including 4.69 crore males, 4.26 crore females, and 5409 third-gender electors, will decide the fate of 695 candidates in the fifth phase of voting.
The fifth phase will witness key contests in various constituencies. Leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Piyush Goyal, Ujjwal Nikam, Karan Bhushan Singh, LJP (Ramvilas) chief Chirag Paswan, JKNC chief Omar Abdullah, and RJD leader Rohini Acharya are looking for electoral success. Eight states/UTs going for polls in phase 5 are Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
Of the 49 Lok Sabha seats, 14 are from Uttar Pradesh, 13 from Maharashtra, 7 from West Bengal, 5 from Bihar, 3 from Jharkhand, 5 from Odisha, and one each from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. In a bid to create a peaceful atmosphere for the electors, a total of 2,000 flying squads, 2105 static surveillance teams, 881 video surveillance teams, and 502 video viewing teams are keeping surveillance round the clock across the 94,732 polling stations.