Pawar Urges Solapur Villagers to Demand Ballot Paper Elections Amid EVM Controversy |

Kolhapur/Mumbai: Days after Markadwadi villagers’ bid to conduct a mock poll with ballot papers was foiled by the Solapur district administration, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday urged villagers in the Malshiras assembly constituency to pass a resolution calling for elections to be held using ballot papers.
“The villagers in Malshiras constituency should pass the resolution. I will take it to state govt, Centre and EC. I will also request the CM to visit Markadwadi. If he finds their concerns valid, he should take the necessary steps. We don’t want to bring politics into it. As soon as Parliament session resumes, we will raise Markadwadi villagers’ concerns there as well,” he said during a visit to the village.
He also criticised the district administration for preventing the villagers from holding the mock voting.
NCP (SP) candidate Uttam Jankar won Malshiras seat but with a narrow margin against BJP’s Ram Satpute. Jankar has since announced that he would resign to pave the way for a byelection with ballot papers.
Pawar said people have started raising doubts about the election process, and some recent election results suggested that these concerns might be justified. “We need to consider what practices are followed elsewhere in the world. In US and UK, EVMs are not used today,” he said.
State NCP (SP) chief Jayant Patil said EC should hold the upcoming local body elections with ballot papers, as people have lost faith in EVMs.
Pawar’s statements drew flak from BJP, with CM Devendra Fadnavis saying in Ahmednagar that being an experienced leader, Pawar “should accept the defeat and it is expected he will not do anything that will destroy people’s faith in the democratic process”.
State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule criticised Pawar over his visit to the village. In a post on social media, he said Markadwadi villagers have consistently supported different parties, and emphasised that the village is not Pawar or Jankar’s monopoly. “Pawar saheb, look at the voting statistics from Markadwadi, and you will come to your senses,” he said, advising Pawar not to falsely blame EVMs. “This time, the people and beloved sisters have rejected you. So, don’t spread falsehoods and blame EVMs.”