There is widespread confusion among the public about the new state government, with a strong sentiment that this government does not reflect their mandate, said state Congress President Nana Patole.
He said that the sentiment is not confined to Markadwadi alone, but resonates across villages in the state. “There is growing public demand for voting through ballot papers, with village sabhas passing resolutions to this effect.”
Patole called on the Election Commission and the Supreme Court to take cognizance of this public sentiment. Speaking to the media on the legislature premises, he stated, "If voters have doubts about whether their vote goes to the candidate of their choice, these doubts must be resolved. The residents of Markadwadi had resolved to conduct a mock poll using ballot papers, but the government, with the help of the Election Commission and police administration, suppressed their efforts and filed charges against them.”
“The Election Commission must answer how 7.6 million votes were added. They have failed to provide a satisfactory explanation. Manipulating votes is akin to the daylight murder of democracy. If such dissatisfaction arises in a democracy, it must be addressed. As the opposition, we will fight for this demand both in the legislature and on the streets," he further said.
The Congress leader further demanded that the government uphold legislative traditions of the state. "Maharashtra’s legislative tradition suggests that the Speaker’s post be unopposed and the Deputy Speaker’s position be given to the opposition. In the Delhi Assembly, despite the BJP having only three members, the Aam Aadmi Party granted them the position of Leader of the Opposition. A delegation from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to discuss granting the Leader of Opposition position to the MVA. We hope the government will consider this proposal positively," he said.