Mumbai, Oct 19 (IANS) Raj Thackeray, the founder and President of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), on Sunday, made serious allegations against the Election Commission, asserting that nearly 96 lakh fake voters have been incorporated into Maharashtra’s electoral rolls.

During the rally, he also reiterated his disapproval of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

His remarks were aimed at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its coalition partners, including the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Raj Thackeray called upon the Election Commission to cleanse the voter lists and delay the forthcoming local body elections in the state until the rectification meets the approval of all political parties involved.

While addressing MNS booth-level workers in Mumbai’s Goregaon, he characterised manipulated elections as the gravest affront to the electorate.

The MNS Chief said that conducting polls with tampered voter rolls renders the outcome predetermined, regardless of public participation, likening it to a fixed political contest.

He asked why ruling parties were intervening when the matter was directed at the Election Commission, suggesting that it struck a nerve because they were aware of the underlying manipulations.

Raj Thackeray contended that efforts were underway to marginalise regional political outfits, revealing that he had come to know of 96 lakh spurious entries added to the voter list ahead of upcoming local body elections, a tactic purportedly employed before the 2024 Assembly polls as well.

He said that between eight and 10 lakh bogus voters had been included in Mumbai, with comparable numbers — ranging from 8 to 8.5 lakh — in Thane, Pune, and Nashik.

He noted that the electoral calculations were fundamentally skewed, dismissing criticism about certain parties failing to secure seats, as it was widely understood how those victories had been achieved.

In reflecting upon the recent Assembly elections, Raj Thackeray said that the election of 232 MLAs from the MahaYuti alliance had left Maharashtra in a state of quiet disbelief, with both voters and the victors themselves appearing astonished.

He implied that the methods employed in national elections were now transparent to all.

At the public rally, Raj Thackeray screened an archival video of PM Modi from his time as an opposition party, in which the latter had alleged partiality on the part of the Election Commission.

He said that the BJP had voiced identical grievances when not in power, thereby censuring the party’s present leadership.

He emphasised that discrepancies in voter lists were a longstanding issue, one he had highlighted as early as 2016-17 concerning electronic voting machines and electoral rolls.

These accusations arise as preparations for local elections intensify, fuelling apprehensions regarding the fairness of the electoral process in Maharashtra.

The Election Commission is yet to issue a statement in response to Raj Thackeray’s assertions.

–IANS

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