'No Proof Of Tampering:' Ajit Pawar Urges Veteran Activist Dr. Baba Adhav To End Anti-EVM Protest

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar highlighted that the ruling Mahayuti coalition had performed poorly in the Lok Sabha elections but did not raise concerns about EVMs.

Emphasising the need to accept the electoral verdict, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday urged veteran activist Dr. Baba Adhav to end his protest against the alleged misuse of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the recent state elections.

Pawar, seated alongside 95-year-old Adhav, highlighted that the ruling Mahayuti coalition had performed poorly in the Lok Sabha elections but did not raise concerns about EVMs.

"In the Lok Sabha polls, Maha Vikas Aghadi won 31 seats (out of 48 in Maharashtra) while we got 17 seats. We accepted the people's mandate. We did not make any allegations about EVMs. In Baramati, my candidate (wife Sunetra Pawar) lost by more than 1.4 lakh votes, while in the assembly election, I won by one lakh votes," PTI quoted Ajit Pawar as saying.

Addressing Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole's claim of a sudden spike in voting percentage near the end of polling, Pawar remarked that it is up to voters to decide when they cast their votes. However, Pawar acknowledged the need for discussions on the issue. 

"I agree that there has to be a discussion over the issue, and if no solution is found, one can go to the courts....Even the Supreme Court recently rejected a plea stating that the petitioners blame EVMs when they face defeat but when they win, they do not level any allegations," he said, adding that he would urge central ministers to allow a parliamentary discussion on the matter.

"A lot of people have made allegations about EVMs, but to date, nobody has been able to prove that they can be tampered with," he said.

Pawar Urges Adhav To Call Off Protest

Pawar also addressed welfare initiatives like the Ladki Bahin Yojana, attributing the ruling BJP-NCP-Shiv Sena alliance's success to voter trust in their schemes. "We faced a humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. We wanted to return to power as questions are not solved by sitting in the Opposition. And to come back to power, we offered some schemes. The Opposition also promised many schemes. Perhaps, as people had more faith in us, they gave us the mandate. It is the Ladki Bahin who brought us to power, " he added.

Pawar requested the Adhav to call off his protest. "It is his prerogative to undertake an agitation but I request that he end it," the NCP chief said. Dr. Adhav, who maintained that his protest was peaceful, sought assurances from Pawar that the agitation would not be suppressed. Pawar assured him that it would not be curtailed and reiterated his request for Adhav to end the protest.