Nagpur, Jan 6 (IANS) The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Tuesday said the party will teach a lesson to the authoritarian and coercive Mahayuti in the elections to the 29 municipal corporations.

“The Congress party has received a strong mandate in the state’s 288 municipal council elections, with 41 municipal presidents and 1,006 corporators elected. The Congress has secured second place in nearly 2,000 corporator seats. This momentum in municipal council elections will be reflected in the upcoming municipal corporation polls,” he added.

He appealed to the people to teach a lesson to the anti-democratic, authoritarian and coercive BJP-led Mahayuti.

Speaking at a press conference in Nagpur, Sapkal said it is the Election Commission’s duty to conduct elections in a fair and transparent manner, but judging by its conduct, the Commission has lost its credibility.

“The Congress party raised the issue of vote theft; eventually, the authorities had to admit there were discrepancies in the electoral rolls, yet no corrective measures appear to have followed. From the Election Commission’s functioning, it seems it is acting at the behest of the ruling party.

“There are flaws in voter lists, repeated postponements in the voting process, hurdles created for Opposition candidates while filing nominations, and a free hand given to the ruling party,” he claimed.

He said, “Campaigning has been permitted till 10 pm — effectively enabling money distribution while ignoring polling booths. The Election Commission’s stance appears to be that it will not improve. The Election Commission, the administration and the ruling party have trampled all democratic norms, turning the process into a naked spectacle.”

“In municipal and now municipal corporation elections, the BJP and its allies have used every tactic — coercion, money, intimidation and manipulation. They have the support not only of the police, ministers and their personal assistants, but also of the Election Commission,” said Sapkal.

Added to this is the role of Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar who allegedly behaved in an extremely uncivil manner to ensure unopposed victories for his brother, sister and sister-in-law — resorting to strong-arm tactics, threatening opponents, and indulging in hooliganism, claimed Sapkal.

“CCTV footage of these incidents was allegedly made to disappear by the administration. Though an enquiry was ordered after complaints from all sides, no action has been taken against Narwekar,” he said.

The Congress party has made its position clear on unopposed elections: Wherever candidates are elected unopposed, the NOTA option should be provided. The party will also consult legal experts about approaching the courts,” said Sapkal.

Reacting to remarks by BJP state president Ravindra Chavan about former Chief Minister late Vilasrao Deshmukh, the Congress president said Deshmukh’s personality and contribution are immense and undisputed.

“The BJP leadership — Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Devendra Fadnavis and Ravindra Chavan — is steeped in the arrogance of power. Their followers make crude and perverse statements; the Congress condemns such remarks. But the BJP’s mindset shows that it does not merely want to erase the memory of Vilasrao Deshmukh — it also seeks to erase the contributions of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Pramod Mahajan and Gopinath Munde,” he noted.

Reacting to remarks by Union Minister C.R. Patil, the Congress president said one should read Govind Pansare’s book to understand who Shivaji was. More importantly, Patil should clarify whether he agrees with the ideology that opposed Shivaji Maharaj’s coronation, added Sapkal.

–IANS

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