Sharad Pawar Engages with Markadwadi Residents on 'Mock Ballot Paper Voting'
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Solapur (Maharashtra), Dec 8 (NationPress) Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar visited Markadwadi in Solapur on Sunday and inquired from the authorities why the villagers were barred from carrying out a mock ballot paper poll on December 3.
Pawar, aged 83, was joined by senior party figure Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil and others, and was welcomed by Uttamrao S. Jankar, the winning MLA from Malshiras' NCP (SP), along with local party activists and a significant number of enthusiastic villagers from Markadwadi, a region that has gained national attention for its campaign against Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Following discussions with the local community, Pawar is set to speak at a public rally in Markadwadi, demonstrating his support for their movement advocating a return to ballot paper voting.
In the wake of the NCP (SP)'s high-profile visit, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, and Uddhav Thackeray, President of Shiv Sena (UBT), along with other allies from the INDIA bloc, are expected to visit Markadwadi in the upcoming weeks.
Concurrently, at least three legislators from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have expressed their willingness to resign as MLAs and re-contest elections if the Election Commission of India (ECI) agrees to conduct them using ballot papers.
The legislators include state Congress President Nana F. Patole from Sakoli (Bhandara), Sunil Raut from Vikhroli (Mumbai) representing SS (UBT), and Uttamrao S. Jankar from Malshiras (Solapur) from NCP (SP).
This trio has asserted that they are ready to resign as newly-elected representatives if the ECI is willing to hold elections using ballot papers.
Jankar stated, “The ECI must consider this request. What is the harm in conducting Assembly seat elections using ballot papers if it helps alleviate public doubts?” as hundreds of villagers supported his viewpoint.
In response, state Bharatiya Janata Party President Chandrashekhar Bawankule challenged all 46 MVA legislators to resign if they were skeptical about the EVMs, while NCP (SP) Working President Supriya Sule insisted that the upcoming civic elections should be carried out using ballot papers to allay public concerns.
Other leaders from the ruling Mahayuti coalition, including Nationalist Congress Party's Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and Shiv Sena's Uday Samant, dismissed it as a ploy from the Opposition, who, after suffering significant losses in the Assembly elections, are attempting to shift the blame onto EVMs.
