Mumbai:Alleging large scale discrepancies in the EVM functioning, the opposition parties have threatened to launch mass movement in the state against the voting machines. There is a need to start a mass movement on the lines of farmer's agitation in Delhi, said NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad.
“I have been saying since the beginning that you should oppose EVMs. The plan seems to be to systematically eliminate the opposition. I also told (party chief) Sharad Pawar that we have to fight against EVMs. Otherwise EVMs will take you to Russia, where (Vladimir) Putin eliminated his opponents through elections,” said Awhad after the meeting of the NCP (SP) party, which was held in Mumbai to take stock of party's embarrassing defeat in the recently held Vidhan Sabha polls in Maharashtra.
Awhad said that the party's several defeated candidates complained about the EVMs in the meeting. They expressed doubts saying the EVMs did not give them expected rise in votes despite being ahead in postal votes. Many of the winning MLAs have also claimed EVMs being faulty, he added.
“It seems that a pattern was fixed and voting was done according to that pattern. Just four months ago, Chandrapur seat was elected by 2.40 lakh votes (in the Lok Sabha polls) and now it went behind by one lakh votes. The Lok Sabha bypoll seat of Nanded was won by the MVA but all the Vidhan Sabha seat went to the Mahayuti. It means district to district pattern was given,” Awhad said.
There is a need to take all the opposition parties into confidence and raise a mass movement against EVMs on the lines of farmer's agitation in Delhi. We are mentally prepared for this, he added.
In the Shiv Sena UBT party meeting too, the candidates expressed doubts over the functioning of EVMs and asked the party leadership to take a firm stand on the issue.
The Maharashtra Congress leaders have also raised doubts over the results of the assembly polls alleging rigging in elections. State Congress president Nana Patole said, “Whatever election results have come, they are not acceptable to anyone, not even to the people of Maharashtra. If you see social media, the the people of Maharashtra are saying that the government has not come with their votes.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader has also said that the Maharashtra Assembly election results were not acceptable to his party and suspected that EVMs were manipulated to benefit BJP and its allies. “How can BJP, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar win so many seats? It is not possible in Maharashtra. People of Maharashtra are not dishonest,” the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said.
