Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday alleged large-scale errors in Maharashtra’s draft electoral rolls and demanded the suspension of the state election commissioner
Aaditya Thackeray said if the discrepancies in the list were intentional, a case of sedition should be filed against SEC. File pic
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday alleged large-scale errors in Maharashtra’s draft electoral rolls and demanded the suspension of the state election commissioner, news agency PTI reported. He said that if these discrepancies were intentional, a case of sedition should be registered against the official.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dismissed his allegations, saying Thackeray was criticising the voters’ list only because he was anticipating defeat in the upcoming civic polls.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Thackeray said the state election commission (SEC) had published the draft electoral rolls on Thursday evening, and the party was examining them in detail.
“There are flaws in the lists. Voters from one ward have been added to another. They could not change ward boundaries, so they picked voter lists and mixed them with others. The BJP and Shiv Sena are shifting people from one booth to another for their benefit and to weaken strong booths of opponents,” he alleged.
The former Maharashtra minister said the draft list was extremely lengthy and not machine-readable, making it difficult for political parties to study it within the given deadline.
Blaming the “incompetence” of the state election commissioner for the alleged discrepancies, Thackeray said, “He does not know how to work. He must be suspended, and if it has been done deliberately, then the SEC needs to be booked for sedition because they are taking away citizens’ right to vote. This is a conspiracy to help specific parties.”
He further claimed that SEC was functioning from the offices of the ruling parties.
“We will raise objections, but will the poll body take any action against it?” he asked, adding that the seven-day window given to submit objections was insufficient.
Countering his remarks, BJP state media in-charge Navnath Ban said Thackeray was making allegations out of fear.
“It is not the voters’ list but the fear of defeat that is troubling Aaditya Thackeray. From Assembly and Lok Sabha to the municipal corporation, the voters’ list has remained the same. Then why cry now?” he said.
Ban added that Thackeray was blaming the electoral rolls because he feared rejection from Mumbai voters.
“Staring at certain defeat, politics of sympathy has begun. Crying will not help,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)
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