Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 1: Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday called for Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to recommend President’s Rule in Maharashtra, citing the ongoing political stalemate over the Chief Minister’s position in the state. Raut also reiterated his accusations against the handling of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
“The Governor must propose President’s Rule due to the mess that has unfolded here. This situation is unacceptable. The public is aware of how the elections were conducted, and they know how the EVMs were manipulated,” Raut told reporters. “We are working to create a national movement around this issue,” he added.
Raut further criticized the Eknath Shinde-led government, calling it unconstitutional. He claimed that the government remained in power only due to the Supreme Court’s intervention and the support of former Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud. He described the current caretaker government as unconstitutional, stating, “This caretaker government is also against the constitution. It has been ten days, and despite having a huge majority, the BJP has yet to form the government. They haven’t even approached Raj Bhavan to stake a claim to form the government.”
Raut questioned the BJP’s delay in forming the government, despite its majority. “If we were in power, they would have rushed to stake a claim every day. Now, Bawankule (Maharashtra BJP President) is announcing the oath-taking ceremony on December 5. Is he the Governor?” Raut remarked.
The Shiv Sena MP emphasized that no official claim to form the government has been made and that the chief minister’s post remains undecided. “No one has met the Governor so far for the government formation,” he added.
Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SCP) leader Jitendra Awhad raised concerns over the handling of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) of erasing critical data. Awhad questioned the sudden appearance of 46 lakh votes in Maharashtra within four to five months after the Lok Sabha elections, casting doubts over the ECI’s management of election data.
On the other hand, NCP Chief Ajit Pawar clarified the party’s stance regarding the formation of the government in Maharashtra. Pawar stated that during a recent meeting of the Mahayuti alliance, it was decided that the Chief Minister would be from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while the remaining two parties would have Deputy Chief Ministers.
In the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a significant defeat, winning only 16 seats out of 288, with Shiv Sena (UBT) securing 20 seats and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) winning 10 seats. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance emerged victorious with 132 seats, while its allies—Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP—won 57 and 41 seats, respectively.