Opposition should respect people's mandate: Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde on EVM allegations

Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde addresses the media during second day of the special Assembly session, in Mumbai, Sunday. Pic/PTI

Amid allegations surrounding the electronic voting machines (EVMs), Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister (CM) Eknath Shinde on Sunday stated that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) should accept the clear mandate given by the people of the state.

Responding to questions about the legitimacy of EVMs, Shinde said, "The opposition should welcome the clear majority given by the people of Maharashtra. We did so much work during the two-and-a-half years of Mahayuti government, and implemented so many schemes, the result of which is this [landslide victory for the alliance]..."

According to news agency ANI, he also criticised the opposition for selectively questioning EVMs, saying they do not raise such concerns in states where they win elections. "Recently, elections were held in Jharkhand and Wayanad. Wherever they [opposition] win, EVMs are fine. This has been going on for several years," Shinde told reporters.

"In the Lok Sabha elections, the Mahayuti secured 43.55 per cent of the votes, while MVA got 43.71 per cent. The margin was minimal, but we won 17 seats, and they got 31 seats. But then, they did not question the EVMs," he said.

Taking a dig at the opposition, Shinde added, "Yesterday, they [MVA MLAs] did not take their oath citing an EVM scam. But today, they took oath. Does that mean the EVM scam is over?"

Earlier in the day, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar voiced concerns about the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly Elections, alleging a lack of voter confidence in the process, ANI reported.

Addressing an 'anti-EVM' event in Markadwadi village, Solapur district, Pawar said, "Elections happen, some win, some lose...but in the recently concluded election in Maharashtra, people have doubts over the polling process and voters are not feeling confident. We go to elections through EVMs. Voters go to vote and come out with confidence, but some results have created doubt among people."

The Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 witnessed a decisive victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance, securing a landslide win with 235 seats. The results marked a significant milestone for BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats.

The Shiv Sena and NCP also made notable gains, with 57 and 41 seats, respectively.

MVA suffered a major setback, with Congress winning just 16 seats. Its alliance partners, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), won 20 seats, while NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) secured only 10 seats.

(With ANI inputs)