Winning Candidates' Votes 'Almost Same': Karjat-Jamkhed MLA Seeks Poll Body's Explanation
Maharashtra: Amid the call for a Bharati Jodo-like movement for a return to ballot paper elections by the Congress party and the revelation of the mismatch in the number of votes polled and counted in Maharashtra, there have been complaints being floated about Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Karjat-Jamkhed MLA and NCP SP leader Rohit Rajendra Pawar, who emerged victorious by a thin margin of 1,243 votes against BJP’s Ram Shinde, expressed his puzzlement regarding the ‘almost same votes’ received by the winning candidates in the assembly constituencies of Nashik district.
Read Also: ‘Over 5 Lakh Excess Votes’: Mismatch In Votes Polled And Counted In Maharashtra, Says Report
The MLA, who retained his sitting seat for another term after wresting it from the BJP in 2014, said the EC was not ready to come forward and tell what is true and what is false, adding that the question being asked by a common citizen is “certainly thought-provoking.”
“What exactly is the commission trying to hide? Or has the Commission taken up the task of destroying democracy? The common people of the state want answers to these and many other questions,” the MLA wrote on his X platform, asking if Maharashtra’s democracy is stuck in the grip of Gujarati EVM.
The MLA then stated that he expected the EC would give an explanation soon, considering the public sentiments. The screenshot shared by the MLA showed candidates with almost equal vote shares.
गुजराती #EVM च्या विळख्यात महाराष्ट्राची लोकशाही अडकली का?
नाशिक जिल्ह्यातील विधानसभा मतदारसंघातील विजयी उमेदवारांना मिळालेली मते जवळपास सारखीच कशी? एका सामान्य नागरिकाने सदरील आकडेवारी पाठवत विचारलेला हा प्रश्न नक्कीच विचार करायला भाग पाडतो.
निवडणूक आयोग तर समोर येऊन काय खरं -… pic.twitter.com/28KhULcQ8t
— Rohit Pawar (@RRPSpeaks) November 26, 2024
After facing one of the worst defeats in history, the Congress and the MVA coalition expressed their doubt over the fairness of the election process. The opposition coalition had performed far better during the Lok Sabha elections held a few months earlier, emerging as the largest political force in the state. However, the assembly election result made the coalition appear almost decimated.
Read Also: Kharge Calls For Bharat Jodo Yatra-Like Movement For Ballot Paper Elections
A report by The Wire recently revealed mismatches and discrepancies in the number of votes polled and counted. The media house cited examples of the constituencies where votes were counted more than they polled, while some constituencies counted votes less than they polled, leading to further questioning over the mismatch’s impact on the overall result in the state.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has, however, called for a Bharat Jodo-like movement for the return of the ballot-papering voting system, suspecting the EVM’s efficiency and accuracy.
