- Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Opposition Maha Vikas Agahdi members decided not to take oath as MLAs alleging misuse of EVMs in the recently-held state polls
By: Shajil Kumar
MAHARASHTRA chief minister Devendra Fadnavis took oath as a member of the Maharashtra legislative assembly on Saturday, on the first day of the three-day special session of the House.
Deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar also took oath as members of the Maharashtra assembly.
The three leaders were administered the oath as MLAs by the legislative assembly’s pro-tem speaker Kalidas Kolambkar soon after the proceedings of the House began at 11 am.
The pro-tem speaker will administer the oath of office to the rest of the 287 newly-elected MLAs.
Results of the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls were declared on November 23, wherein the Mahayuti alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) registered a resounding victory by winning 230 of the 288 assembly seats.
The new government was sworn in on December 5 with Fadnavis returning as the chief minister, while Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar took oath as deputy chief ministers.
Opposition protest
Opposition Maha Vikas Agahdi (MVA) members in Maharashtra decided not to take oath as MLAs on the first day of the special three-day assembly session, alleging misuse of EVMs in the recently-held state polls.
Several members belonging to the ruling parties took oath as members of the assembly.
However, members from the opposition parties – Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) – decided not to take oath.
Talking to reporters on the premises of the Vidhan Bhavan, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said, “The MVA has decided not to take oath as members of the House today. When a government comes to power with such a thumping majority, there are celebrations. A question arises whether the mandate it received was given by the people or the EVM and Election Commission of India.”
The opposition is also protesting against the curfew and arrests in Markadwadi village in Malshiras assembly constituency in Solapur, where the villagers sought a ‘re-poll’ using ballot papers, he said.
“We are not taking oath, taking into cognisance the doubts in the minds of people,” he added. (PTI)
