Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde strongly criticized the opposition parties for repeatedly alleging “vote theft” and questioning the credibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Shinde pointed out the contradiction in the opposition’s stance, stating, “When they win, they don’t talk about vote theft, but when they lose, they talk about vote theft. When they got more seats in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha elections, did they manage the EVM and the Election Commission? When they won in Telangana and Karnataka, did they manage the EVM and the Election Commission?”
He said that making such allegations after electoral losses was unjustified and amounted to undermining democratic institutions. “The Election Commission has also said that if there is evidence, provide it; otherwise, apologise. Repeatedly making allegations doesn’t prove them. This is an insult to the voters, an insult to the people of Maharashtra,” he added.
Defending the Mahayuti government’s performance, Shinde credited the alliance’s two-and-a-half years of governance for the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP bloc’s electoral success. He warned that if the opposition continued to malign institutions and insult voters, it would face a severe backlash in upcoming local body elections.
The Deputy CM also accused the opposition of targeting the Prime Minister and even questioning the sacrifices of soldiers. “They make allegations against the Prime Minister, against the soldiers of the army. What kind of patriotism is this?” Shinde asked.
He further asserted that the people of Maharashtra had already given a clear response to such politics and predicted a defeat for the opposition in Bihar elections as well. “If they make such allegations, they will lose every election,” he remarked.
