Ahead of Maharashtra civic body polls, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut alleges the State Election Commission permitted Mahayuti parties to continue door-to-door campaigning even after the campaign deadline
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut. File Pic
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Member of Parliament (MP) Sanjay Raut on Wednesday accused the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) of giving an “open licence” to Mahayuti parties to distribute money during door-to-door campaigns, despite the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) being in force for the civic body polls, news agency ANI reported.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Raut alleged that the SEC allowed door-to-door campaigning even after the official campaign period had ended on Tuesday.
“Campaigning ended yesterday. According to the rules, laws, and the Model Code of Conduct, campaigning officially stopped yesterday. However, suddenly, the Maharashtra Election Commission said that even after campaigning has ended, you can still go door to door and campaign. What kind of rule is this? This directly gives the Bharatiya Janata Party, Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar permission and a licence to distribute money openly during door-to-door campaigns,” Raut said.
Rajya Sabha MP also alleged large-scale deletion of voters’ names from electoral rolls across several states, claiming that such actions could impact election outcomes, ANI reported.
BJP does not conduct elections in fair manner, alleges Sanjay Raut
“Look, in Bihar, around 60 lakh names have been removed from the voter list. The same has happened in Maharashtra as well. In Uttar Pradesh, the process of deleting nearly one and a quarter crore names from the voter list is going on at a rapid pace. And what figure have you given for West Bengal—54 lakh? Removing the names of 54 lakh voters in a single state has the potential to change the outcome of elections,” he said.
Claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not conduct elections in a fair manner, Raut said the party’s political narrative in West Bengal has shifted after failing to gain traction.
“The reality is that the Bharatiya Janata Party has never fought elections in a fair manner. In West Bengal, the Hindu-Muslim narrative has failed. Now, in West Bengal, it is no longer about Hindu versus Muslim, but about the Enforcement Directorate versus the Trinamool Congress. That is why the BJP has conspired to remove nearly 60 lakh votes, but despite this, Mamata Didi will win with a massive majority,” he added.
Elections are scheduled to be held on Thursday, January 15, for 29 civic bodies in Maharashtra, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). The counting of votes will take place on January 16.
(With ANI inputs)
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
