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Thackeray made these remarks just hours before the BJP’s announcement that the swearing-in ceremony of the new Mahayuti government will take place on December 5
Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray (PTI Image)
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday claimed that government formation in Maharashtra was delayed because the ruling Mahayuti parties never thought they will come to power again.
Thackeray was speaking here hours before the announcement by the BJP that the swearing-in of the new Mahayuti government will take place on December 5.
Sitting next to social activist Dr Baba Adhav, who staged a three-day protest here against the alleged misuse of Electronic Voting Machines and money power in the November 20 state polls, Thackeray asked why there were no celebrations after the “monstrous” victory of the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition.
Adhav, 95, ended his agitation by accepting a glass of water from Thackeray’s hands.
“When the Maha Vikas Aghadi was formed (after the 2019 elections), President’s rule was imposed. This time no one has staked claim to form the government, yet there is no President’s rule,” said Thackeray, a former chief minister.
“They (Mahayuti allies) never thought they would come to power again, so they had no planning on who will be the CM, the council ministers. This is why government formation is taking time,” Thackeray said.
He also demanded that all Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips should be counted. “Anyone can see that a vote has been cast. But how does one verify how the vote has been registered,” he asked.
As many as 76 lakh votes were cast in the last one hour of voting on November 20, which meant on average, 1,000 people voted at every polling booth during this period, Thackeray said.
But the length of queues outside polling booths did not reflect this, he claimed.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
- Location :
Maharashtra, India
