Winning Sena (UBT) MLAs won't take oath over EVM charges
Shiv Sena Uddhav Bal Thackeray (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday announced his party's winning MLAs won't take the oath in the Maharashtra assembly. The decision, he said, is a protest against alleged misuse of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the assembly elections. Thackeray expressed doubts over the election results, claiming they don't reflect the people's mandate. He said, "Democracy is being murdered by the use of EVMs."
Thackeray's protest coincides with Maharashtra assembly session
The boycott comes on the day of a special session of the Maharashtra legislative assembly. In the session, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar took their oaths. The three-day-long session will see oath administration for MLAs, election of the assembly Speaker, a trust vote for the new government, and an address by the governor.
Thackeray criticizes Mahayuti alliance's election strategy
Governor CP Radhakrishnan has appointed pro-tem Speaker Kalidas Kolambkar, a senior BJP MLA, to conduct the session. The Mahayuti alliance—BJP, Shinde's Shiv Sena faction, and Pawar's NCP faction—won 230 of 288 seats in the November elections. This resulted in Fadnavis being sworn in as chief minister on December 5, but Thackeray had slammed the delay in announcing the Mahayuti's chief ministerial candidate as an "insult to Maharashtra."
Opposition MLAs boycott Mahayuti's swearing-in ceremony
He accused the BJP-led coalition of subverting democratic principles through a lack of transparency. Thackeray also slammed the BJP for announcing the swearing-in date before formally staking claim to form the government. Opposition MLAs had also boycotted Mahayuti's grand swearing-in ceremony at Mumbai's Azad Maidan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries, including Union ministers and NDA state leaders, attended the event. Bollywood, cricket, and business celebrities were also present at the ceremony.
