Assembly election formality now: CM Fadnavis

Mumbai: While the Election Commission is yet to announce the Maharashtra Assembly poll dates, the BJP leaders in the state are thinking that they have already won the election, even before voting takes place.

Beginning the third leg of his “Maha Janadesh Yatra” in Ahmednagar Friday, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the Assembly poll was now just a formality and the BJP-Shiv Sena’s victory was a foregone conclusion. “It will be impossible to dislodge the BJP in Maharashtra for another 25 years,” he declared.

Mr Fadnavis held a road show at Akole, the Assembly constituency of Vaibhav Pichad

Taking a dig at the Opposition for blaming electronic voting machines for their rout in the Lok Sabha election, the CM said, “The EVM is just a machine. The people who go to vote approach the EVM with only Mr Modi in their minds. So they vote for the BJP and Shiv Sena. The problem is not in the machine, but in your khopdi (head).”

Claiming that the Congress-NCP that ruled From 1999 to 2014, was ousted by the people because of the arrogance of its leaders, Mr Fadnavis boasted that they will not have to get used to being in the Opposition. “The people will not vote you to power for the next 25 years. You had so much arrogance but the people taught you a lesson by voting you out,” the chief minister said.