Won’t be surprised if INDIA alliance blames EVMs for assembly polls outcome: Ajit Pawar

PTI, Dec 3, 2023, 2:37 PM IST

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday said he would not be surprised if some people cry foul and put the blame on EVMs for the assembly polls outcome, as counting was underway in four states.

The BJP was racing towards power in the Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and had a distinct edge in Chhattisgarh while the Congress was poised to oust the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana.

Speaking to reporters, Pawar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s work was being appreciated by the people. ”I will not be surprised if people from the INDIA alliance start blaming the EVMs (electronic voting machines) for the results,” he said. It would be like crying foul, he added.

“When I was in government in the past, my opinion at the time was that tampering with EVMs was impossible. Just one person cannot tamper with the EVMs on such a large scale. You need many people to do it, and when a number of people get involved in such a practice, it would have naturally come out by now,” the NCP leader said.

If EVMs are to be blamed in these three states (MP, Rajasthan and Rajasthan), what about Telangana? he said.

”We need to accept that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image and his work is being appreciated by the people,” he said.

On the BRS trailing behind Congress in Telangana, Pawar said, “I think he (BRS head and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) showed overconfidence and came to Maharashtra for expansion (of his party base).” He (Rao) held huge rallies and made several promises. However, he has been rejected by his own state, Pawar said. People’s decision is always supreme, he added.