SP candidate accused of distributing cash to voters
Shaikh was given a ticket to contest BMC polls from ward 140, which is reserved for women.
Mumbai: A Samajwadi Party candidate from the Govandi has been accused of distributing money to convince local residents to cast their vote for her in the upcoming BMC polls, and the civic body has lodged an NC with the Deonar police station in this regard. A video surfaced on social media where Ayesha Anis Shaikh (46) was seen distributing Rs 15,000 to residents in a slum, and asking them to vote for her.
The returning officer of the M-East ward, in charge of accepting nominations from candidates in the area came across the video on the mobile messaging application —WhatsApp, and alerted the BMC ward officer S. Kilje. Mr Kilje then approached the Deonar police station to lodge a complaint against Shaikh. Her candidature will be declared invalid, if the charges against her are proven following investigation from the police.
A civic official said, “We received an anonymous complaint against the candidate, but even before that we had come across the said video on WhatsApp and were going to initiate action.”
Shaikh was given a ticket to contest BMC polls from ward 140, which is reserved for women. The total assets she has declared in her nomination form amount to Rs 1,05,89,000, which is a 91 per cent increase from the assets she had declared while contesting the elections in 2012.
Senior police inspector of the Deonar police station said, “The BMC lodged an NC on Tuesday and the matter is under investigation.”
When The Asian Age tried to contact Shaikh, she remained unavailable for comment.