Aaditya Thackeray, leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), announced on Saturday that MLAs from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance would abstain from the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected Maharashtra assembly to protest against the alleged “misuse” of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the recent elections.
Thackeray expressed that their boycott was a response to what he termed a “murder of democracy” due to EVM use, claiming that the election results did not reflect the public’s will but rather that of the machines and the Election Commission of India. As a result, opposition MLAs will not take their oaths during the assembly’s special session.
NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal countered this by stating that opposing the oath-taking process is not permissible, asserting that those who wish to engage in the assembly’s functions must first take the oath. The special session commenced with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, taking their oaths, conducted by Pro-tem Speaker Kalidas Kolambkar.
The remaining 287 newly elected legislators will also take their oaths during this session, with the election for the Speaker planned for the final day on Monday. The assembly elections on November 20 resulted in a decisive victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which secured 230 out of 288 seats.
Following intense discussions regarding power-sharing, Fadnavis was sworn in as Chief Minister for a third term, with Shinde and Pawar as deputy chief ministers. The opposition MVA previously boycotted the grand swearing-in ceremony that was attended by notable figures including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NDA partners. After their disappointing performance in the assembly polls, MVA members, made up of Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and factions of NCP led by Sharad Pawar, have been vocal in their criticisms of EVMs.
Many defeated candidates from the opposition coalition have claimed there were irregularities in the EVM process, alleging that the BJP-led Mahayuti manipulated the results to “steal the mandate.”
