Sharad Pawar Urges Centre To Act On CEC Amid Opposition Protests
The veteran leader said his immediate focus was on the worsening water and fodder crisis in the state and the need for drought relief measures.
Mumbai: NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday urged the Centre to take an immediate decision on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid Opposition demands for his resignation and protests by the INDIA bloc over alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
“The central government needs to act promptly regarding the Chief Election Commissioner amid demands from the Opposition and protests by the INDIA bloc concerning the Election Commission and the SIR.
The Opposition was forced to take to the streets because the Centre had not yet resolved the issue,” Pawar said in Malegaon.
His remarks came against the backdrop of the INDIA bloc’s ‘Chalo Delhi’ rally at Ramlila Maidan in the national capital against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the SIR exercise.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, attended the rally.
The leaders raised concerns over the SIR exercise and alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.
Although Pawar skipped the rally, he said his party was represented by Baramati MP Supriya Sule, his daughter, and local leaders participating in the agitation.
The veteran leader said his immediate focus was on the worsening water and fodder crisis in the state and the need for drought relief measures.
Pawar on Sunday began a three-day tour of drought-affected regions across Maharashtra to assess the situation.
He started from Baramati and proceeded to the severely affected Madha and Pandharpur talukas in Solapur district.
His tour will cover Solapur, Dharashiv, Beed and Ahilyanagar districts over the next two days.
The former Union minister highlighted the severe distress on the ground, noting that 135 tankers were supplying water to 139 villages in Solapur district alone, with the Madha constituency requiring 110 tankers.
Describing the situation as a major livelihood crisis for people and farming communities, Pawar announced that the Pawar family would cancel its usual Diwali celebrations this year and dedicate all available resources to drought mitigation.
In September, Pawar had written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, demanding a special three-day session of the state legislature to assess the drought situation.
He had urged the government to provide immediate relief for orchard and crop losses, waive farm loans and extend financial assistance of Rs 50,000 per hectare to affected farmers and Rs 25,000 to farm-labourer families.
