Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP, Sanjay Raut, has strongly criticised the ongoing political situation in Maharashtra, urging Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to recommend the imposition of President’s rule in the state.
Raut, addressing reporters on Sunday, expressed his discontent with the current political deadlock surrounding the position of Chief Minister in the state, calling the situation a "mess" and an issue that needed immediate attention.
Raut, who has been vocal about his concerns regarding the state's governance, continued to allege that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) had been tampered with during the elections.
"The Governor should propose President's rule because of the mess that has happened here. This is wrong. People are watching everything. People know how the elections were conducted, EVMs main kaisi gadbadi hui (how the EVMs were tampered)," he said, adding that Shiv Sena (UBT) was working towards a national movement on the issue.
Raut also took the opportunity to criticise the current state government, led by Eknath Shinde, and claimed that it was operating in defiance of the Constitution.
He argued that the government was only able to stay in power due to the protection it received from the Supreme Court and former Chief Justice DY Chandrachud. He further labelled the current government as a "caretaker government," questioning its legitimacy.
"In Maharashtra, such a government was in power because of the Supreme Court’s protection and was against the Constitution. DY Chandrachud is responsible for this," Raut stated.
The Shiv Sena leader also pointed out the delay in the formation of a new government despite the BJP’s clear majority in the state. "It has been 10 days. They have a huge majority. BJP themselves have a majority but they haven’t formed the government yet. They didn’t even go to Raj Bhavan to stake claims to form the government. If we had been in the majority, they would have run every other day to stake a claim. What is happening?" he questioned.
Raut even mocked the announcement made by Maharashtra BJP president, Bawankule, about the swearing-in ceremony, questioning his authority and the legitimacy of such claims.
Raut went on to emphasise that no decision had been made regarding the appointment of the Chief Minister and that there had been no official communication with the Governor to begin the process of forming the new government.
He pointed out that despite having a majority, there had been no clear action taken by the BJP-led coalition, calling this an ongoing constitutional issue.
Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SCP) leader Jitendra Awhad raised serious allegations about the handling of the recent Maharashtra elections.
Awhad accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of erasing critical data from the EVMs used in the assembly elections. He questioned the sudden appearance of 46 lakh votes in Maharashtra within just four to five months following the Lok Sabha elections, calling for an investigation into the matter.
The NCP has also made statements regarding the future of the state’s leadership. NCP leader Ajit Pawar clarified that during a recent meeting of Mahayuti (the alliance of BJP, Shiv Sena under Eknath Shinde, and NCP under Ajit Pawar), it was agreed that the Chief Minister’s position would go to the BJP.
Pawar confirmed that the other two parties in the alliance, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and NCP (Pawar faction), would have Deputy Chief Ministers.
In the backdrop of these developments, the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance has found itself in a difficult position. In the recent Maharashtra state elections, Congress won only 16 out of 288 assembly seats, while its ally, Shiv Sena (UBT), led by Uddhav Thackeray, secured 20 seats.
The NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar won just 10 seats. On the other hand, the BJP-led Mahayuti emerged victorious with 132 seats, and its allies—Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction)—secured 57 and 41 seats, respectively.
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