Ajit Pawar meets Adhav; defends EVMs

Pune, Nov 30 (PTI) Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday requested veteran activist Dr Baba Adhav here to call off his protest against alleged misuse of EVMs in the recent state polls, saying that the verdict should be accepted.

The ruling Mahayuti had fared badly in the Lok Sabha elections but did not question the Electronic Voting Machines, the Nationalist Congress Party chief said, sitting next to 95-year-old Adhav.

"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," said Pawar.

As to state Congress chief Nana Patole's claim that voting percentage suddenly spiked just before the polling concluded, Pawar said it was up to voters to decide when to step out for voting.

He, however, agreed that a discussion needs to take place.

"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," Pawar said.

He will certainly urge the ministers in the Centre to allow a discussion on the issue in Parliament, said the BJP ally.

"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 urged Adhav to end his protest. "It is his prerogative to undertake an agitation but I request that he end it," the NCP chief said.

On the welfare schemes including the Ladki Bahin Yojana for women which are said to have helped the ruling BJP-NCP-Shiv Sena alliance significantly to win over the voters, he said, "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." Dr Adhav said he and his associates were agitating in a peaceful manner, and sought an assurance from Pawar that the protest will not be suppressed.

Pawar assured that it would not be suppressed. PTI SPK KRK