A delegation of Opposition leaders, including NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS` Raj Thackeray, on Tuesday met Maharashtra`s chief electoral officer to flag alleged irregularities in the poll process.
The delegation, which also had leaders from the Congress and the Left parties, met CEO S Chockalingam at the Mantralaya.
The delegation is also expected to address a news conference later.
The Opposition leaders` meeting with the senior poll official comes ahead of the local bodies election in Maharashtra, expected to be held later this year.
A major item on the agenda is the alleged manipulation of voter data, including accusations of vote tampering and irregularities in the voters` list, which have cast doubts on the Election Commission’s impartiality.
Raj Thackeray, who has consistently raised election-related concerns since 2017, is among the prominent voices in the meeting. Senior MVA leader Jayant Patil has also joined the discussions. A major item on the agenda is the alleged manipulation of voter data, including accusations of vote tampering and irregularities in the voters list, which have cast doubts on the Election Commission’s impartiality.
Numerous allegations have recently surfaced against the Election Commission, resulting in a visible decline in public trust. The opposition claims that during the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections, there were widespread instances of duplicate voter names and other discrepancies. These issues, they argue, have not been sufficiently addressed and have further eroded public confidence in the election process.
Adding to the controversy, opposition leaders have questioned the state government and the Election Commission over the lack of transparency in voter data. They are demanding clarity on why the final voters list and related details have not been made publicly accessible.
In response to the opposition’s allegations, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde launched a sharp attack on the MVA. “The MVA only makes allegations when the BJP wins,” Shinde said. “This isn’t the Maha Vikas Aghadi, it’s the Maha Confuse Aghadi. They are casting doubt on the Maharashtra government, the Election Commission, and even themselves. It seems like they don’t know what they really want.”
“If elections haven`t been announced yet, why has voter registration been stopped?” questions Raj Thackeray to the election officials.
