Activist ends soon after Uddhav Thackeray creates more agitation for fair polls – Times of India

PUNE: Social activist Baba Adhav on Saturday withdrew his hunger strike to protect constitutional principles after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray vowed to intensify agitation for fair election proceedings. Earlier, Adhav had raised doubts over the fairness of the Assembly election results and criticized the government for excessive use of money power in the presence of NCP chief Ajit Pawar.
Pawar, who also visited Mahatma Phule Wada to appeal to Adhav to call off his hunger strike, defended the use of EVMs and criticized the opposition for raising doubts over the election results. “Before the Assembly elections, the Lok Sabha elections were held in which the MVA won 31 seats while our alliance managed to get only 17 seats. At that time, we did not raise any doubts against the EVMs and accepted the mandate. the people of the state changed their minds and voted for Mahayuti, is that our fault?” he said.
While defending the use of EVMs, Ajit Pawar agreed that there is no harm in discussing the issue. “I agree that in a democracy we can discuss the issue (regarding EVMs) and if there is no solution, the aggrieved parties can approach the Supreme Court. Even the Supreme Court has rejected the plea against the use of EVMs. It is strange The opposition sees no problem in EVMs if they win and blames it if they face defeat,” he said.
However, Adhav said, “The difference between the Lok Sabha poll results and the state Assembly results is astonishing. It is nothing short of a miracle and that is why I question the fairness of the process. When I pressed the button on the EVM machine, I realized that there is a possibility of tampering, but I understand that the responsibility of proving the tampering lies with me and some technical experts will shed light on it, but the process was not fair,” the 95-year-old said. . Thackeray and NCP (SP) state president Jayant Patil, who also visited him, promised to take up the agitation at the state level. Adhav accepted Thackeray’s request and ended his three-day fast.