Sharad Pawar, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), on Saturday expressed concerns over the alleged misuse of power and money in the recent Maharashtra state elections. Pawar said that this level of influence over the election process had never been witnessed in any previous state or national elections.

Pawar's remarks came during a visit to Dr. Baba Adhav, a senior activist who is leading a protest against the alleged manipulation of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the recent elections. Adhav, who is in his 90s, began his protest on Thursday at Phule Wada, the residence of social reformer Jyotiba Phule.

The protest follows claims from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) parties—the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP)—that the EVMs were tampered with during the Maharashtra Assembly elections. The elections, held on November 20, resulted in a sweeping victory for the Mahayuti alliance, which includes the Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP. The alliance secured 230 out of 288 seats, while the MVA managed only 46.

Pawar acknowledged that there have been murmurs about vote tampering involving EVMs, though he said he lacked proof to confirm these claims. He emphasized that the scale of misuse in this election was unprecedented, noting that such practices are typically seen in local elections, but never in state-level or national elections. Pawar expressed concern that this misuse of power and money had left people in Maharashtra feeling restless.

"People are recalling the leadership of Jaiprakash Narayan, and they believe someone should take action," Pawar said, referring to the famous socialist leader. "Baba Adhav has shown the way with his protest, but more is needed. A mass revolt is necessary to protect parliamentary democracy," he added.

Pawar also pointed out that those in power seemed unconcerned by the allegations, despite widespread discussion over the alleged EVM manipulation. He said that opposition leaders had been seeking the chance to speak on the issue in Parliament, but their requests had been repeatedly denied. "This shows their intent to undermine parliamentary democracy," he claimed.

The NCP leader mentioned that people had presented him with claims about how votes could be manipulated in EVMs, but without concrete evidence, the party did not act on these claims. However, Pawar noted that after the Maharashtra elections, it seemed there might be some truth to the allegations.

When asked about the demand for a recount by 22 defeated candidates, Pawar expressed doubts about its effectiveness. He also commented on the allegations made by Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat, who claimed that 7 percent of the votes were cast in the final two hours of the election. Pawar described this as "shocking" and said it deserved serious attention. He confirmed that the Congress had discussed the issue in their meetings and that a decision would likely be made soon to address the matter.