Mumbai, 27 September (H.S.): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday accused the Opposition of questioning the credibility of the Election Commission and electronic voting machines (EVMs) only after losing elections.

Shinde said the Opposition does not raise similar questions when the Congress wins state elections and alleged that its criticism of the Election Commission reflects double standards.

His remarks came amid demands by the Congress and other political groups for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The Opposition's demands have followed reports about objections raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over decisions and procedures related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena and is a constituent of the ruling coalition in Maharashtra, questioned the Opposition's approach to the Election Commission and EVMs.

He said political parties should respect electoral institutions and accept election outcomes rather than question the process only when the results do not go in their favour.

The remarks come amid a wider political debate over the functioning of the Election Commission, the SIR exercise and the management of electoral rolls.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar