While MNS chief Raj Thackeray has urged the state chief electoral officer (CEO) not to go ahead with the elections till errors in the electoral list such as bogus and double names are rectified, cousin Uddhav demanded bringing in the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system for the polls.
The delegation of Opposition parties met with CEO S Chockalingam in Mantralaya on Tuesday, and is set to meet the official again on Wednesday to further discuss the electoral anomalies and other issues. During the meeting, Raj questioned whether the election commission is prepared for the polls. “Elections should not be conducted till the time errors in the electoral list are rectified,” the MNS chief demanded during the meeting.
The delegation of the Opposition parties comprising representatives from the Congress, Sharad Pawar-led NCP, and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT), Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and leaders of other parties held a detailed meeting with Chockalingam.
The Opposition leaders cited issues like duplicate names, incorrect information of voters in the rolls, issues pertaining to deletion, addition of names, and other concerns related to the electoral list prepared by the election office. According to those present in the meeting, Chockalingam informed the delegation that demands and concerns will be shared with the chief election commissioner’s office in Delhi.
An invite for Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s bash. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Initially, there was speculation that the Congress might not join the delegation due to an invitation to the MNS for the meeting. Congress state president Harshwardhan Sapkal was not present, but senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat represented the party in the meeting.
Asked about reports of Congress likely to stay away from the meeting, Throat said, “Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was the first to raise the issue of irregularities in the electoral list. Hence, there is no question of the Congress skipping the meeting.”
Recently, there were reports that VVPAT machines will not be used in the upcoming civic polls as they are meant for single-member elections and are incompatible with multi-member ward systems. Referring to these reports, Sena UBT leader Uddhav, during the meeting, asked the election office to ensure that the VVPAT system is used in the upcoming polls. “It is not advisable to conduct elections without VVPAT,” Uddhav said.
Meanwhile, reacting to the Opposition delegation meeting with the election officer, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde said, “This is not Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), it is Maha Confused Aghadi.”
Uddhav to be chief guest at MNS’s Deepotsav
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray will be the chief guest for the ‘MNS Deepotsav’ event, celebrated every year by the MNS at Shivaji Park in Dadar. The celebration was started by Raj in 2012. While Raj runs the show, the on-ground execution of the festival is managed by MNS leader Yeshwant Killedar. The event draws significant attention from political parties, artists, writers, local residents and many from Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra. This year, the reunion of the Thackeray cousins and family members would be the main feature.
