Sharad Pawar: People will lose confidence in polls if BJP wins

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has again raised doubts over Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) machines, saying that people will lose confidence in elections if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wins in Baramati.

The BJP shot back at him saying his allegations stemmed out of the anticipation of defeat in Baramati.

Mr Pawar told a news channel, “The experts are saying that Electronic Voting Machines machines can be hacked. Going by the claims made by BJP leaders, it raises doubts that they have done some planning regarding this. If the BJP wins in the Baramati Lok Sabha seat, people will lose confidence in elections.”

The Election Commission should make necessary amendments in the election process to ensure that people repose their faith in it. Once they lose confidence in the elections, they can go to any extent, he added.

Mr Pawar’s statements had created ripples in political circles raising doubts about his confidence regarding the victory of his daughter and NCP nominee Supriya Sule from Baramati.

The ruling party leaders are making tall claims of winning all seats in Maharashtra. They had expressed confidence that Ms Sule will bite the dust this time against BJP candidate Kanchan Kul from Baramati.

Reacting to the NCP chief’s statements, revenue minister Chandrakant Patil said that Mr Pawar had sensed his daughter’s defeat from the Baramati seat and hence, was making such statements. “We are confident of winning in Baramati. But it is not correct to say that the BJP will win due to hacking of Electronic
Voting Machines,” he said.

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