Opposition Boycotts First Day of Maharashtra Assembly Session in Protest Against EVMs

A three-day special session of the Maharashtra Assembly began on Saturday, with newly elected MLAs taking their oaths of office. However, the session saw an early boycott by opposition parties, who chose not to participate in the proceedings on the opening day. The opposition parties, including Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP), chose to abstain from taking their oaths in protest against alleged manipulation of electronic voting machines (EVMs) during the state elections. The boycott was triggered by the participation of BJP MLA Chainsukh Sancheti, who was one of the first legislators to take the oath of secrecy.

“Though we are not against taking the oath of secrecy as MLAs, we have decided not to take the oath today. The Mahayuti coalition received an unprecedented mandate in the assembly polls. However, we all know it was not a people’s mandate and was achieved with the help of EVMs. As a mark of protest against the use of EVMs in the polls, we have decided not to take the oath on the first day of the session,” said Bhaskar Jadhav, who leads Shiv Sena (UBT) in the state assembly.

Following the swearing-in of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, Congress state president Nana Patole, representing the Sakoli assembly constituency, was called to take his oath. However, Patole opted to leave the house without participating. Afterward, opposition members gathered outside the Vidhan Bhavan to pay their respects at the statue of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

The Mahayuti coalition, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, won a majority with 230 out of the 288 seats in the recent state assembly elections. However, the opposition continues to raise concerns over the credibility of the election process, particularly the role of EVMs.
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