India, Feb. 23 -- The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court has told the chief electoral officer of Maharashtra to provide details on alleged irregularities in the election of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Suresh Dhas. The direction comes on a petition filed by Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Mahebub Shaikh, seeking Dhas's disqualification as an MLA a fortnight ago.

Shaikh, who lost the assembly election in November to Dhas from Ashti constituency in Beed district, has moved court, alleging that the BJP MLA had indulged in various illegal practices, EVM malpractices, and also appealed to voters in the name of religion.

"Among other objections, I have stated in the petition that Dhas appealed to voters using derogatory word...