Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday hit back at Aaditya Thackeray after the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader questioned the legitimacy of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), stating that the opposition should approach the Election Commission or the courts if they have concerns.
“There is no point in making such allegations here. They (the opposition) should go to the Election Commission and if they do not get justice there, they should approach the court,” Pawar said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
Aaditya Thackeray declared his party's winning MLAs would not take oath during the special session of the Maharashtra assembly.
"Today we have decided that our (Shiv Sena UBT) winning MLAs will not take the oath. If this was the mandate of the people, people would have been happy and celebrated it. However, there was no such celebration or enthusiasm from the public. We have doubts about EVM," Thackeray said.
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The election for new Maharashtra assembly speaker is expected to be held on Monday. On Friday, senior BJP legislator Kalidas Sulochana Kolambkar was sworn in as the pro-tem speaker.
NCP MP Sunil Tatkare told ANI, "The oath ceremony of all the MLAs is taking place. With the amount of love the public has given to the Mahayuti alliance, we will work for the development of Maharashtra."
On Thursday, Devendra Fadnavis took oath as Maharashtra chief minister for the third time in an event held in Mumbai's Azad Maidan. Deputy CMs Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde also took oath during the occasion.
The Maharashtra Assembly election results, declared on November 23, saw the Mahayuti alliance achieve a landslide victory. The BJP emerged as the largest party with 132 seats in the 280-member Assembly, while its allies-the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, and the NCP, led by Ajit Pawar-won 57 and 41 seats, respectively.
(With Agency Inputs)