Eknath Shinde Critiques Uddhav Thackeray: 'Voters Favor Active Leaders'
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Mumbai, Dec 8 (NationPress) The Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and leader of Shiv Sena, Eknath Shinde, responded on Sunday to a statement made by NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar concerning the discrepancy between votes gained and seats secured by various parties in the Assembly elections held on November 20. He questioned, “Was there not an EVM scam when your party wins?”
Without directly naming his predecessor and leader of Shiv Sena-UBT, Uddhav Thackeray, he remarked, “People do not vote for those who remain idle but choose to support those who take action.”
In the context of previous elections in Jharkhand and Karnataka, as well as the Lok Sabha elections where Priyanka Gandhi emerged victorious, Shinde stated, “When we face defeat, accusations of EVM fraud arise. Nobody asks for a return to ballot papers when we succeed. This is hypocrisy.” He asserted that the opposition lacks substantive issues, emphasizing that his beloved sisters would bring challenges to the opposition. He noted that all factors had made the opposition realize their position in the recent state assembly elections.
Shinde pointed out the inconsistency in the opposition's reaction towards Supreme Court and Election Commission rulings, stating, “They welcomed decisions favoring them but contested those against them, which threatens democracy.” He reiterated that the state assembly elections were conducted through democratic procedures and highlighted the accomplishments of the MahaYuti government.
Furthermore, he mentioned that the MahaYuti government has revitalized numerous projects and welfare initiatives that had been halted by the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
Shinde claimed that the MahaYuti alliance received validation through votes in the recent assembly elections.
He challenged the opposition, urging them to cease their complaints and engage in developmental work.
According to Shinde, during the Lok Sabha elections, a 2 lakh vote difference existed between the MahaYuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi.
He posed the question, “The MahaYuti secured 17 seats while the Maha Vikas Aghadi obtained 31. Was that an EVM scam?” He noted that the MahaYuti had not contested the results at that time.
Shinde further explained that in the Assembly elections, Shiv Sena claimed 57 seats after garnering 79 lakh votes, while Congress received 80 lakh votes and secured 16 seats.
“While Congress contested more than 100 seats, Shiv Sena ran in 80. We had fewer candidates, yet they obtained more votes. This is a complex calculation influenced by constituencies and varies based on individual votes,” Shinde articulated. He added that they lost 8-10 seats by margins of 1000 to 1200 votes. “Had those been won, we would have achieved 70 seats with 79 lakh votes, leading to significant objections,” he concluded.
