In a dramatic turn of events during the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections, a Shiv Sena candidate allegedly swallowed his rival's nomination form in a bizarre attempt to secure his party's ticket. The incident occurred on Wednesday at the Dhankawadi Sahakarnagar ward office during the nomination process for the January 15th civic polls, leaving election officials stunned and prompting police intervention.

Uddhav Kamble, a 34-year-old Shiv Sena candidate, has been booked for allegedly tearing and swallowing the AB form of Machhindra Dhawale, his fellow party member. AB forms are crucial documents required for candidate nomination in elections. The incident unfolded amidst a heated argument between Kamble and Dhawale, both of whom had been issued A-B forms to contest the election from Ward No. 34. According to police reports, Kamble snatched Dhawale's form, tore it into pieces, and swallowed them.

According to Senior Inspector Rahul Khilare, the party had initially issued the form to Machindra Dhawale, who submitted his nomination documents for Ward 36 A. Subsequently, another AB form was issued to Kamble, who also filed his documents on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Kamble visited the ward office and requested the file containing candidate lists and forms. After receiving the file, he allegedly pulled out Dhawale's form and attempted to tear it. When officials intervened, he reportedly fled towards the washroom and swallowed the form, making it impossible to recover the document.

Following the incident, authorities launched a search for Kamble. He later arrived at the Bharati Vidyapeeth Police Station voluntarily, accompanied by party officials. Kamble claimed that he was the official candidate of the party from Ward No. 36 and had received the A-B form accordingly. Despite his claims, the police have taken him into custody, and an investigation is underway. A case has been registered against Kamble for obstructing a public servant.

Manisha Bhutkar, the assistant election officer, filed a complaint with the Bharati Vidyapeeth police, leading to the registration of a case against Kamble under sections 132 (assault or use of criminal force against a public servant) and 324 (mischief) of the BNS.

Machhindra Dhawale maintains that he is the authorized candidate, stating that he submitted his AB form at 2:30 pm, which, according to him, makes his nomination valid. He has submitted a Xerox copy of his form to the election office. Uddhav Kamble, on the other hand, has accused Dhawale of unlawfully taking the AB form and asserts that he is the rightful candidate. He has stated that he will clarify his position after consulting with senior party leaders.

The incident has sparked controversy and raised questions about the allocation of AB forms. According to election officials, AB forms were issued to two candidates each in at least six wards, leading to disputes over who the legitimate nominee was. Returning Officer Supriya Karmarkar confirmed that Kamble forcibly took the attached AB form during the scrutiny process and fled. She stated that the staff chased him, but the AB form vanished, and the police have been requested to take appropriate legal action.