In a dramatic turn, all the Maha Vikas Aghadi or the MVA leaders, even MLAs from Shiv Sena (UBT) – including Aaditya Thackeray-the state’s youngest MLA boycotted, and abstained from an oath-taking ceremony for the recently-elected Maharashtra Assembly. The allegations surrounding tampering with electronic voting machines (EVMs), according to them caused its protest, describing the procedure as a “murder of democracy.”
MVA Protests Against EVM Tampering
Addressing the media, Aaditya Thackeray declared the decision to abstain from the ceremony.
“Today we have decided that our winning MLA will not take oath today. We have doubts about EVM; we are not taking oath today in protest. Democracy is being murdered,” he stated.
Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar echoed these sentiments, raising concerns about the integrity of the election process.
“The results have raised questions, the entire process seems tainted. People are unhappy, and something appears wrong,” Wadettiwar alleged.
Maharashtra Assembly’s Special Session
The controversy unfolded during a special three-day session of the newly constituted 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, which began on Monday. The session, presided over by pro-tem Speaker Kalidas Kolambkar, includes the oath-taking of MLAs, the election of the Speaker, a trust vote for the new government, and the Governor’s address.
Kalidas Kolambkar, senior BJP MLA, was appointed pro-tem Speaker by Governor CP Radhakrishnan on Friday. The session marks a critical phase for the Mahayuti government to establish its mandate.
In the November 20 elections, Mahayuti led by the BJP with the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde and the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar bagged an absolute majority, winning 230 of the 288 assembly seats. With the result, Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as Chief Minister. On December 5, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar were sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers.
Thackeray Criticizes Delay in CM Decision
A week-long delay in naming the chief ministerial candidate sparked criticism from Aaditya Thackeray, who described the delay as an “insult to Maharashtra.” He accused the BJP-led coalition of undermining democratic principles by taking over a week after the results to decide on leadership.
“The delay and lack of transparency in decision-making reflect poorly on the democratic process,” he remarked.
Thackeray also condemned the BJP’s decision to announce the swearing-in date before formally staking a claim to form the government.
“This is anarchy. Rules seem to apply only to opposition parties,” he added.
