MUMBAI: Days after Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi presented his "atom bomb proof," using Election Commission's data to support his allegations against the poll body, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday made another serious charge concerning the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
Endorsing Rahul Gandhi's claims regarding vote rigging, Pawar claimed that ahead of the Maharashtra elections, two individuals approached him, assuring they could help the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance get elected in 160 out of 288 seats in the state.
Sharad Pawar clarified that he does not have the names or addresses of these two individuals.
"But I do remember clearly that these two people told me they could help us get elected to 160 seats out of 288 in the assembly elections. Although I was surprised, I did not doubt the Election Commission of India’s functioning. Later, I introduced them to Rahul Gandhi, where they repeated the same assurance. However, both of us agreed that we would not resort to any malpractice and would instead appeal to the people, accepting whatever mandate they give us,” Pawar said.
The former union minister also urged the EC to respond adequately to questions raised by Rahul Gandhi.
"The ECI cannot simply sweep these alarming issues under the rug. Rahul Gandhi has presented evidence showing the use of bogus votes during elections — in one instance, addresses of 40 people were recorded at a single location. How is that possible? Therefore, the ECI cannot shirk its responsibility."
Reacting to the poll body's demand for a signed decleration by Gandhi regarding his claims, Pawar said, "Gandhi has taken his oath as an MP; what more oath does the ECI require? It should launch an inquiry and clarify these doubts. Otherwise, the ECI, as an independent institution, will remain under suspicion."
Pawar earlier called for Rahul Gandhi's presentation, citing the poll agency's data to substantiate his allegations, to be widely circulated across the country, so that "people know what is happening in the country, how elections are managed and how vote rigging is done through malpractice."
Responding to Pawar’s statement, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed it as an influence of Rahul Gandhi’s company. He alleged that since Pawar was with Gandhi in Delhi, the senior leader has started making remarks that are baseless and far from truth or facts.
