24 September,2026 10:31 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray during a political engagement in Maharashtra. File pic
The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Thursday questioned the Election Commission of India's claim of unanimous decision-making, citing media reports about objections raised by two Election Commissioners over decisions taken by the poll panel.
In an editorial published in the party mouthpiece âSaamana', the Thackeray-led party targeted the ECI and Union Home Minister Amit Shah while raising allegations about the functioning of the poll body.
The editorial referred to media investigative reports which said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions taken by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
According to the editorial, the two commissioners later escalated their concerns to the Cabinet Secretariat, thereby bringing the matter to the attention of the Prime Minister's Office.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) editorial alleged that the objections related to decisions concerning electoral rolls and the Special Summary Revision (SSR) process. It accused the ECI leadership of acting in a manner that allegedly benefited the ruling BJP, though these claims were made by the party and were not established in the copy.
The editorial also alleged irregularities in the SSR process and claimed that approximately 13 crore voters had been disenfranchised across India. It further claimed that more than two crore names had been removed from Maharashtra's electoral rolls.
The party also alleged that 42 lakh votes were added during the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections and claimed this benefited the BJP-led alliance. The editorial similarly alleged targeted deletion of voters during Assembly elections in West Bengal and Bihar.
These claims were presented as allegations in the party editorial.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) editorial also levelled allegations against Amit Shah and questioned the functioning of the ECI under successive commissioners. It accused the poll body of influencing political developments and alleged that party names and election symbols had been handed over to breakaway factions in various cases.
The editorial further claimed that public confidence in constitutional institutions had declined and called for intervention by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"As long as individuals like Amit Shah and Gyanesh Kumar remain in power, the Constitution of India holds no meaning. The Prime Minister must sack them immediately - only then can the country be saved. Since Shah and Kumar will not resign on their own, removing them is the only choice left before PM Modi," it remarked.
The party editorial praised opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Uddhav Thackeray and Tejashwi Yadav for raising concerns over electoral processes. It also praised Election Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi for bringing the reported internal objections to light.
The developments come amid an ongoing political dispute over electoral-roll revision and the functioning of the Election Commission, with opposition parties raising concerns over the process and the poll panel maintaining that its decisions are taken according to the applicable framework.
(With inputs from IANS)
