Pune: NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said on Saturday that some people had raised red flags on the possibility of “30% vote manipulation” during the assembly poll, and the election outcome prima facie showed it held truth.
“Before the election, some people made a presentation that it is possible (to increase votes through manipulation), and they also raised a red flag saying it will be done in the election. It was our shortcoming that we did not pay heed to them. We never thought the Election Commission of India would go to that extent in taking a wrong stand. After the poll results, though, prima facie it appears that the red flags raised by those people hold truth,” the NCP (SP) chief said during a media interaction when asked about the opposition take on the EVM issue.
Pawar visited Pune’s Mahatma Phule Wada to meet 95-year-old social worker Baba Adhav, who was observing a hunger strike against the alleged corruption and use of money in the recent election. After the meeting, the veteran politician said, “Parliamentary democracy looks in danger, given the current situation. Those in govt have no interest in this. The opposition has been raising the issues in Parliament for the past six days, but not even for a minute has the discussion happened on issues of national interest. It clearly shows the intention of the people in govt to attack parliamentary democracy,” he said.
The opposition parties have been raising the issue of alleged EVM manipulation in the assembly poll, questioning the spurt in the number of votes polled in the last hour of the voting in the state. During Pawar’s interaction with Adhav, he said some people said 30% of votes could be added to increase the vote count.
Following the defeat in Haryana and Maharashtra assembly polls, Congress is planning a nationwide movement to raise issues over the conduct of the polls. Speaking about it, Pawar said, “The issue was raised in the Congress Working Committee’s meeting where it was suggested that it should be raised by the members of the INDIA bloc at the national level. The decision on the issue is expected either on Monday or Tuesday.”
Speaking about Adhav’s hunger strike, Pawar said, “Some people met me outside Parliament recently, and they remembered JP Narayan’s movement. They spoke about initiating a similar movement in the country. Adhav’s agitation has given voice to the concerns of common people, but he will need support.”