MLAs from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) staged a walkout on the first day of the special session of the Maharashtra Assembly on Saturday. The protest is in response to allegations of electronic voting machine (EVM) manipulation in the recent elections. The MVA, a coalition of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP), has been raising concerns about EVMs after experiencing a significant defeat in the polls.
Following the swearing-in of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, Congress state president Nana Patole, representing the Sakoli constituency, was called to take the oath but chose to leave the house in protest.
"The Assembly election that happened in Maharashtra, people are not convinced about it. What happened in Markadwadi, is the sentiment of entire Maharashtra. Today if Election Commission, the government oppose mock polling, then it means that the government has come with unfair means, stealing votes. They would have let mock polls happen. Hence, to mark our protest, we have boycotted the oaths of new MLAs," Nana Patole said.
The opposition lawmakers left the Vidhan Bhavan and proceeded to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj within the legislative premises to pay their respects.
Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray spoke on the party's decision, stating, “Today, we have decided that our (Shiv Sena UBT) winning MLAs will not take the oath. If this was the true mandate of the people, they would have celebrated this victory. But there was no celebration anywhere. We have doubts about EVMs.”
The three-day special session of the Maharashtra Assembly is set to administer oaths to newly elected MLAs and the election for the Speaker scheduled for Monday.