'Stop crying': Maharashtra deputy CM Eknath Shinde asks opposition to stop ‘misleading’ people about EVMs
Eknath Shinde said the Mahayuti won the recent assembly elections because of its developmental work and asked the opposition to support the new government.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday asked the opposition parties to “accept people's mandate” and stop “misleading voters” about electronic voting machines (EVMs), news agency PTI reported.
“In the Lok Sabha elections, 2.48 crore votes went to the Mahayuti, which is 43.55 per cent. The MVA polled 2.5 crore votes, which was 43.71 per cent. Still, the opposition got 31 seats, and Mahayuti won 17. Should we say there was an EVM scam?” Shinde asked.
Shinde said the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar's NCP, won the recent assembly elections because of its developmental work, and the opposition must support the new government in carrying forward such work.
The former chief minister said the opposition must accept that it has been “decisively defeated”. People have shown the opposition its place and proved that they don't vote for those who sit at home, Shinde added.
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“People have given us the mandate for our work. Stop crying and accept the development work we have done. Accept the mandate,” Shinde said, adding that creating confusion about a democratically elected government is “not good for democracy”.
He also pointed out the opposition victories in the Jharkhand assembly election and the by-polls to the Nanded (Maharashtra) and Wayanad (Kerala) Lok Sabha seats.
“When you win, there is no EVM scam, but the machine becomes bad when you lose. This is not the right approach,” Shinde said.
He also asked on what grounds the opposition party MLAs took the oath on Sunday while skipping it earlier to protest the alleged misuse of EVMs. “Does this mean they have abandoned the issue?” asked the Shiv Sena chief.
The deputy chief minister's statement comes amid widespread allegations raised by the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) against the credibility of EVMs, seeking a return to the ballot paper system of polling.
Earlier, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said a comparison between votes polled and seats won by political parties in the Maharashtra assembly election was “surprising.”
Responding to Pawar's suspicions, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “As a senior leader, Pawar shouldn't mislead the country. You will come out of this if you accept defeat. I expect you to give your colleagues advice on introspection.”
(With PTI inputs)
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