Pakistan condoles Vajpayee's death, Imran Khan says void in South Asian politics
New Delhi, Aug 16 : Pakistan on Thursday condoled the death of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee describing him as a renowned statesman, with the incoming Prime Minister of the country Imran Khan saying his death has left a void in South Asian politics.
"We have learnt with sadness the passing away of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister of India, who was undergoing treatment in a hospital in New Delhi," the Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.
"Vajpayee was a renowned statesman who contributed to bringing a change in India-Pakistan relations and remained a key supporter of Saarc (South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation) and regional cooperation for development," it stated.
"The government and people of Pakistan extend their heartfelt condolences to his family and to the government and people of India."
In a separate statement, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who is set to take oath as Pakistan's Prime Minister on Saturday after his Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged as the largest party after last month's general elections, described Vajpayee's demise as a void in South Asian politics.
"There is a void in the politics of South Asia after his death," the statement quoted Khan as saying in a statement.
"There can be political differences but the desire of peace remains present across the border. We stand with India in this difficult time."
Vajpayee and then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif were signatories to the historic Lahore Declaration of February 1999 that reached a mutual understanding towards the development of atomic arsenals and to avoid accidental and unauthorised operational use of nuclear weapons.
The Declaration brought added responsibility to both nations' leadership towards avoiding nuclear race, as well as both non-conventional and conventional conflicts.
Vajpayee, 93, passed away at AIIMS here on Thursday evening after a prolonged illness.
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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.
