Bhai Jagtap should accept mandate given by people: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale

Ramdas Athawale said, "It is not good for a leader like Bhai Jagtap to make comments like these. He should apologise, otherwise legal action should be taken against him. He should accept the mandate given by the people. The Election Commission is a different department. It has no relation to government functioning. PM Modi has a connection with the EC only till the conduct of polls. When their alliance got 31 seats in Lok Sabha polls and we got 17 seats, they got more votes than we predicted but we did not question the EVM."

He further said that MVA should not unleash the anger on the Election Commission for the defeat in the Assembly polls.

"We got so many votes in Assembly polls because the people understood that the narrative of the Constitution was false. People realised that no one can change the constitution by Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar. People realised that no one can take away the reservations so Dalits also voted in favour of Mahayuti. Minorities have voted for us. So we got so much success. What is the fault of the Election Commission?" he added.

Earlier Bhai Jagtap refused to apologise over his objectionable "kutta" remark for the Election Commission.

Congress leader Bhai Jagtap doubled down on his derogatory remarks against the Election Commission of India amid the row over the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), and said that the country's democracy has been "disreputed" because of ECI's "sycophancy."

"I will not apologise at all, not even a bit...If they are working under pressure from the PM and other ministers then what I have said is right. I will not apologise...Election Commission exists to further strengthen the democracy of the country, and not to serve someone. I stand by what I said. The Election Commission should work like TN Seshan...Democracy is being disreputed because of the sycophant attitude of EC," he said.

He further said that Congress brought the EVM technology because it was being used in France, and the US, but after 2009, doubts started arising over its use.

Jagtap further said, "Ours is the biggest democracy in the world. If any such doubt is raised, it should be answered. Several petitions have been filed before the Supreme Court on this. A decision on the same was pronounced in April 2024. It was said that VVPAT slips should be counted, if you do not want Ballot paper. The petition stated that 50 per cent of the VVPATs should counted but Supreme Court said that it should be 5 percent but it wasn't done."

"PM of the country had spoken about ballot paper when he was the CM of Gujarat. So, what happened now? Lal Krishna Advani had also said the same...They are saying that we are raising this issue because we have lost (election in Maharashtra) but you too were saying the same then. Investigate it once. If this is faulty, replace it - that is what we are saying. Bring the system that people feel is right. I see my own ballot paper, stamp it, fold it and deposit it. So, there is no question of tampering," he further said. (ANI)