The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) kept up its attack on electronic voting machines on Sunday, with its MP and the editor of party mouthpiece “Saamna” saying EVMs were a curse to India’s democracy and responsible for the party’s poor performance in the assembly polls held on November 20.
Writing in his Sunday column Rokhthok, under the headline ‘Shantata, EVM Garbhar Aahe’ (Silence, the EVM is pregnant), Sanjay Raut cited examples of several countries which have banned EVMs and returned to ballot paper voting and said the murder of democracy in India would continue till ballot paper voting was brought back.
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“America, England do not use EVMs for their elections. In 2006, Netherlands banned the use of EVMs. In 2009, the apex court of Germany declared election by EVMs bogus and banned them. In 2016, Japan shifted to ballot paper saying EVMs are not transparent. American industrialist Elon Musk has repeatedly said that EVM is a big scam and the results can be changed by hacking it. Looking at the way results of the Maharashtra assembly election were managed, no one would believe the election system in the country now,” Raut stated in his article, castigating the Supreme Court for advocating EVMs.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Raut also slammed the former chief justice of India Dhananjay Chandrachud. “Chandrachud gave protection to the unconstitutional government in Maharashtra. He has set the country on fire by committing extra-constitutional acts,” said the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader.
Raut also took a dig at Shiv Sena leader and caretaker chief minister Eknath Shinde over his reported illness, saying, “Shinde needs an occultist instead of a doctor.”
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Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray too slammed Shinde and the Mahayuti alliance, which won the assembly polls, over the delay in government formation. “Not being able to decide on a chief minister and form the government for more than a week after the results is not just an insult to Maharashtra, but also to the assistance provided by their dearest Election Commission. It seems that rules only apply to the opposition parties,” he said.