A serious breach of electoral protocol has surfaced on the first day of Maharashtra’s local body elections, with a widely shared video showing Shiv Sena MLA Santosh Bangar entering a polling booth in Hingoli district at the exact moment a female voter was exercising her franchise, triggering immediate outrage and an official investigation.

The first phase of voting, covering 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats with over 6,000 seats at stake, was marred when the footage clearly captured Bangar crossing the restricted area, approaching the voting compartment, peering inside, and engaging in conversation with the woman as she pressed the button on the Electronic Voting Machine—an act that directly violates the sanctity and secrecy of the ballot.

Acknowledging the gravity of the incident, senior election officials confirmed that a formal probe has been instituted. While describing the circulating video as “incomplete,” the authorities have directed the presiding officer and booth-level officials present at the location to submit a comprehensive report within hours, assuring that appropriate disciplinary or legal action will follow depending on the findings.

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Sources revealed that a close family member of MLA Santosh Bangar is actively contesting the Hingoli municipal council election from the same area, intensifying speculation that the legislator’s presence inside the booth may have been intended to influence voters or monitor the process, further undermining public confidence in the fairness of the electoral exercise.

In a separate enforcement action, election authorities in Majalgaon town of Beed district seized ₹6 lakh in unaccounted cash from an SUV on Monday evening, the final day of campaigning. The vehicle’s occupant has been asked to produce valid documentation justifying the cash, as vigilance teams continue strict surveillance to prevent money power from distorting the local body polls.

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