Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 10 : Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey on Sunday said NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar's remarks about being offered help to secure Assembly seats point to possible irregularities in the Election Commission.
Dubey said that while his party questioned the EC, the BJP became irritated. He stressed that they were questioning the institution that protects democracy, not the BJP, and demanded the resignation of the chief election commissioner.
"...Yes, two people came forward, claiming they could help him secure 160 seats. It means that there are certain irregularities in the Election Commission... We questioned EC, but the BJP gets irritated by this. We are not questioning the BJP; we are only questioning the institution that upholds democracy... We demand that the chief election commissioner should resign," Dubey told ANI.
A day earlier, Sharad Pawar said two people had approached him before the Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024, claiming they could guarantee 160 out of 288 seats.
"I remember that before the Maharashtra Assembly elections were announced, two people came to meet me in Delhi... They told me that out of 288 seats in Maharashtra, we guarantee you 160 seats. I was surprised, to be honest, I had no doubts about the Election Commission," Pawar said.
"After that, I arranged a meeting with those people and Rahul Gandhi. Whatever they wanted to say, they said in front of Rahul Gandhi. But Rahul Gandhi and I were of the opinion that we should not pay attention to this; this is not our path," he added.