Ballot Paper Row: Cong Chief of Maha Urges ECI, SC to Consider Public Demand

Public demand is growing in favour of the return of the ‘Ballot paper voting’—the Congress believes. With this, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole has recently (Sunday, 8th December) urged the ECI (Election Commission of India) and the SC (Supreme Court) to take note of the public demand and consider introducing ballot paper voting once again. 

Patole reiterated the doubts over the results of the assembly elections in Maharashtra where the opposition unity MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) had to face a poll debacle in the hands of the ruling Mahayuti led by BJP. The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the Maharashtra assembly elections.

"There is a widespread confusion among people about the new state government. A strong sentiment suggests that the government doesn't reflect the people's mandate," Patole told media.

Several leaders from opposition parties, including NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, visited Markadwadi village in Solapur district to express solidarity with villagers who had tried to hold a mock "repoll" using ballot papers while questioning the EVM credibility.

"This public sentiment is not confined to Markadwadi but resonates across villages in Maharashtra. A demand for conducting voting through ballot papers is growing, with village sabhas passing resolutions to this effect," Patole claimed.  He appealed to the Election Commission and the Supreme Court to take cognisance of this public sentiment.

Mock Poll by Villagers Using Ballot Paper:

In an unprecedented move, the people of Markadwadi, a village in Markadwadi, were planning to conduct a repolling by themselves using ballot papers. They later gave up the planning after police intervention. Although the Malshrias assembly segment, of which Markadwadi is a part, was won by the opposition candidate, the villagers demanded that the margin be lesser. 

NCP (SP) candidate Uttam Jankar defeated BJP's Ram Satpute by 13,147 votes in the November 20 state polls in the assembly seat.

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, visited Markadwadi village in Solapur district to express solidarity with villagers while questioning the EVM's credibility.

“This public sentiment is not confined to Markadwadi but resonates across villages in Maharashtra. A demand for conducting voting through ballot papers is growing, with village sabhas passing resolutions to this effect," Patole claimed on Sunday.

“Residents of Markadwadi had resolved to conduct a mock re-poll using ballot papers, but the government, with the help of the Election Commission and police, suppressed their efforts and filed cases against them," Patole alleged.

Patole also sought clarification from Election Commission on "the addition of 7.6 million votes". 

"They have failed to provide a satisfactory explanation. Manipulating votes is akin to the daylight murder of democracy.If such dissatisfaction arises in a democracy, it must be addressed. The Opposition will fight for this demand in the legislature and on the streets," Patole added.