Mumbai, Dec 8 (UNI) The Election Commission and the Supreme Court should take note of the public demand for voting via ballot paper, said Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Sunday.
Talking to media in the Legislature premises, he spoke about a widespread confusion among public about the victory of the ruling Mahayuti in just-concluded state assembly elections, as there is a strong sentiment that this government does not reflect their mandate.
This sentiment is not confined to the Markadwadi village in Solapur district but resonates across villages in the state, he noted.
Effectively, there is a growing public demand for conducting polls using ballot papers, with village sabhas passing resolutions to this effect, he said.
The MPCC chief has called on the Election Commission and the Supreme Court to take cognizance of this public sentiment.
He said, "If voters have doubts about whether their vote goes to the candidate of their choice, these doubts must be resolved. The residents of Markadwadi had resolved to conduct a mock poll using ballot papers, but the government, with the help of the Election Commission and police administration, suppressed their efforts and filed charges against them."
The Election Commission must answer how 7.6 million votes were added, but they are failing to provide a satisfactory explanation, he argued.
"Manipulating votes is akin to the daylight murder of democracy. If such dissatisfaction arises in a democracy, it must be addressed. As the opposition, we will fight for this demand both in the legislature and on the streets," said Patole.
"Maharashtra’s legislative tradition suggests that the Speaker’s post be unopposed and the Deputy Speaker’s position be given to the opposition. In the Delhi Assembly, despite the BJP having only three members, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) granted them the position of Leader of the Opposition," he pointed.
A delegation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to discuss granting the Leader of Opposition position to the MVA, he said.
"We hope the government will consider this proposal positively," Patole added.
UNI VKB SS