BJP 'biggest enemy' of farmers, Maharashtra demands 'maha parivartan':Mallikarjun Kharge
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday claimed that the BJP is the "biggest enemy" of Maharashtra's farmers and asserted that the state has decided that farmers will benefit only by removing the double engine government from power.
In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge slammed the BJP over farmer suicides in Maharashtra and said the promise of making the state drought-free is a "jumla" (rhetoric).
"BJP is the biggest enemy of Maharashtra's farmers. 20,000 farmers committed suicide. Huge cut in funding in farming. Promise of Rs 20,000 crore water grid turned out to be false. Promise of making Maharashtra drought-free is a 'Jumla'," he said. Kharge also attacked the BJP over its "refusal to give compensation to the farmers" while insurance companies are being showered with Rs 8000 crore.
He hit out at the BJP over the export ban and high export duty burden on onion and soybean farmers and the huge drop in cotton and sugarcane production, putting farmers in distress.
Kharge claimed that the state's milk cooperatives in crisis and the government itself has admitted it.
"Maharashtra has decided that farmers will benefit only by removing BJP's double engine government from power! Maharashtra demands MahaParivartan!" the Congress president said.
The ruling Mahayuti alliance comprises Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, BJP and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. The opposition MVA comprises the Congress, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP).
The Election Commission last Tuesday announced that Maharashtra will vote in one phase on November 20 to elect its 288-member Assembly.
The counting of votes will be held on November 23, a day before the current Maharashtra assembly completes its term.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
