"Opposition should respect the people's mandate": Maharashtra Dy CM Eknath Shinde on EVM allegations

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 8 (ANI): Amid allegations surrounding electronic voting machines (EVM), Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Sunday that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) should welcome the clear mandate given by the people of the state.
Responding to questions about the legitimacy of EVM, Shinde said, "The opposition should welcome the clear majority given by the people of Maharashtra. Our 2.5 years of Mahayuti government has done so much work, and implemented so many schemes, the result of which is this..."
He criticized 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.
Referring to past election results in Maharashtra, he said, "In the Lok Sabha elections, Mahayuti secured 43.55 per cent of the votes, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi 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?"
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 (Sharad Pawar faction) chief Sharad Pawar voiced concerns about the recently concluded Maharashtra assembly elections, alleging a lack of voter confidence in the process.
Addressing an "anti-EVM" event at Markadwadi village in Solapur district of the State, the NCP-SCP chief said, "Elections happen. some win some lose...but in the recently concluded election in Maharashtra, people have doubts over the election 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 BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, securing a landslide win with 235 seats. The results marked a significant milestone for the BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats.
The Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party also made notable gains, with 57 and 41 seats, respectively.
The MVA suffered a major setback with Congress winning just 16 seats. Its alliance partner, Shiv Sena (UBT), won 20 seats, while the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) secured only 10 seats. (ANI)