Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Monday said the opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc will announce its prime ministerial candidate within 24 hours of the Lok Sabha poll results being declared.
Counting of votes nationwide for the seven-phase polls, which ended on June 1, will take place from 8am on Tuesday.
Asked about the PM candidate of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.), which comprises the Shiv Sena (UBT) and several opposition parties led by the Congress, Raut said, "We have many candidates for the post of PM but what about the BJP? The I.N.D.I.A. bloc will announce its prime ministerial candidate within 24 hours of the results being declared."
All the leaders of the opposition bloc will meet in Delhi and the announcement will be made there, the Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP asserted.
Slamming the Election Commission for allegedly ignoring complaints from opposition parties about poll irregularities and model code of conduct violations, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah allegedly seeking votes in the name of 'Ram Lalla', Raut said, "We have written 17 complaints (letters) to the EC but we have not received any reply on them."
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"Like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is the ECI also meditating?" he asked in a swipe at the PM's 45-hour 'dhyan' programme at the Vivekanand Rock Memorial in Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari.
Queried on Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's claim that Union Home Minister Amit Shah called up several collectors across the country ahead of counting of votes on June 4, Raut said, "It is a very serious issue. We have found that 12 of them (collectors) are from Maharashtra."
In a post on social media platform X on June 1, Ramesh said "The outgoing Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors. So far, he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is. Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4th, Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah, and the BJP will exit, and the I.N.D.I.A. Janbandhan will be victorious. Officers should not get under any pressure and must uphold the Constitution. They are under watch".
The EC had sought factual information from Ramesh on this claim and had asked him to share details by 7 pm on Sunday.
Amid all exit polls predicting a robust win for the BJP-led NDA and a third term as PM for Modi, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader took a jibe at the BJP and said it can prepare "ladoos and fafdas" for victory celebrations but the "people will celebrate the defeat of the ruling party".
—PTI