'Will always be against...': Samajwadi Party pulls out of MVA alliance in Maharashtra, here's why

Samajwadi Party's Maharashtra President Abu Azmi expressed dissatisfaction with the "communal remarks" made by Shiv Sena (UBT) and pulled out of the Maha Vikas Agadhi (MVA) alliance on Saturday.

The SP Maharashtra president announced in a post on X that the party had quit the alliance in the state due to the remarks made by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, Azmi said, "Samajwadi Party was, is and will always be against communalism. SP leaves Maha Vikas Aghadi because of Shiv Sena (UBT)"

December 7, 2024

Azmi was referencing the remarks made by the Shiv Sena (UBT) that had posted a picture of the Babri Masjid and Balasaheb Thackeray, expressing solidarity with the Babri masjid demolition.

Earlier, Azmi also expressed dissatisfaction with the MVA leaders."They (Uddhav Sena) used to say that they have become secular, and they made an alliance with Congress, Sharadpawar, SP, now that they had lost so they are expressing this anger and saying the same things they used to say before. I believe that the MVA cannot be sustained like this," Azmi told ANI.

He also criticised the Opposition for a lack of coordination with other parties during the assembly elections.

"We were not contacted during ticket distribution, there was no coordination whatsoever during elections," Azmi told ANI.

He also said that if there is a demand from the people to remove EVMs for polling, it should be done.

"I also suggest that to remove the doubts among the people, then for once to remove any doubt, on the will of the people the EVMs should be removed," he added.

Azmi also did not join in with other Opposition MLAs in boycotting the oath-taking ceremony during the special session of the Maharashtra Assembly held earlier on Saturday, saying that he has taken his oath.

Meanwhile, as Opposition leaders in Maharashtra boycotted the assembly's oath taking ceremony on Saturday raising doubts about EVM credibility, party leader Jitendra Awhad defended their stance to skip the ceremony for a "cause."

He also alleged that the people of Markadwadi village in Solapur district were not allowed to hold a repoll in their village with ballot paper.

"We did not attend the oath-taking ceremony of MLAs and we did not take the oath. It was for a cause, which was that the people of Markwadi (in Solapur) wanted ballot paper polling for the assembly elections, and this demand was not accepted by the administration," he told ANI.

"People have the right to decide how they want to vote... Is it wrong to show your political awareness," Ahwad said.

Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray announced that the party's winning MLAs will be boycotting the oath taking during the special session of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Thackeray also questioned the legitimacy of EVMs.

"Today we have decided that our (Shiv Sena UBT) winning MLAs will not take the oath. If this was the mandate of the people, people would have been happy and celebrated it. However, there was no such celebration or enthusiasm from the public. We have doubts about EVM," Thackeray said.

Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI.