Solapur (Maharashtra): In the wake of Maharashtra Assembly election results, NCP founder Sharad Pawar on Sunday questioned the credibility of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Advocating the use of ballot paper, the NCP founder said that countries like the USA and England also use ballot paper to conduct elections. Hitting back at Mr. Pawar, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis asked him and other opposition leaders to accept the defeat and introspect to find reasons for his defeat.
Mr. Pawar went to Solapur’s Markadwadi village, where supporters of NCP legislator Uddtam Jankar had planned to hold mock elections on ballot paper after the results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections. The mock elections had to be cancelled after the Election Commission and police did not give permission for it. However, the village has become the centre point of Maha Vikas Aghadi’s protests against EVMs. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also likely to visit the village on December 9.
Mr. Pawar said that Markadwadi was discussed even on the premises of the Parliament. “The MPs from other states of the country are curious to know about your village and asking where it is located? The sensible and wise people of the entire country did not notice it (EVM manipulation). How did the villagers notice this? All of us are happy as the country is congratulating you today,” he said.
Mr. Pawar further said that the victory and defeat are part of the election, but the whole country has apprehension over the Maharashtra result. “The people have raised a suspicion over the process of the election. The voters do not have faith in the current voting system. At present the elections are being held through the EVMs. Voters press the button, but they are not sure if their votes have gone to the candidate they voted for,” he said.
Stating that the people want corrections in the current election mechanism, Mr. Pawar added, “The USA is a big country, where elections are conducted through a ballot paper. England also holds elections on the ballot paper. Almost all European countries do not use EVMs.”
The Maharashtra CM called the allegations regarding EVM manipulation “baseless”. In an interview to a television channel, he said, “As long as they don’t introspect on their loss and keep lying to themselves, their party will never recover from the loss.”
Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule rubbished the MVA’s claim that the people of Markadwadi village always supported them. He also cited the election data from 2014 to 2024.
“In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Markadwadi village, NCP candidate Vijaysingh Mohite Patil received 533 votes, while Mahayuti alliance candidate Sadabhau Khot received 664 votes. In the same year, in the Assembly elections, NCP’s Hanumant Dolas got 294 votes, while independent candidate Anant Khandagale received 979 votes. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP’s Ranjitsinh Nimbalkar received 956 votes, while NCP’s Sanjay Shinde got 395 votes. However, in the same year’s Assembly elections, NCP’s Uttamrao Jankar received 1,346 votes, whereas BJP’s Ram Satpute got 300 votes. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, NCP (SP) candidate Dhairysheel Mohite Patil got 1,021 votes, while BJP’s Ranjitsinh Nimbalkar received 466 votes. Meanwhile, in the Assembly elections, NCP’s Uttamrao Jankar received 843 votes, and BJP’s Ram Satpute secured 1,003 votes… instead of spreading misinformation and blaming the EVMs, carefully analsze the voting data from Markadwadi. This will help you think clearly (sic),” the BJP state chief said in a post on X.
