Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nitesh Rane on Monday dismissed allegations made by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray against the Election Commission (EC), questioning the timing and intent behind the claims, news agency ANI reported.
Rane said he was “surprised” that Thackeray had not raised similar concerns following the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, in which the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) — part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc — performed better than the Mahayuti parties.
The Maharashtra Minister’s response comes after Thackeray recently claimed that 9.6 million fake voters have been added to the electoral rolls ahead of the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Elections.
Speaking to the media, Rane said: “I am surprised that Raj Thackeray did not raise these questions after the Lok Sabha elections. When Congress, INDI Alliance and MVA leaders are elected, these people do not raise any issues with the EC. After the Lok Sabha polls, they gave slogans supporting Pakistan, and the Hindu community voted against them in the Vidhan Sabha elections.”
He further alleged selective outrage, stating: “They said nothing about `vote jihad`, but if the Hindu community comes together and votes unitedly, they get upset. If you want to inquire, go to Null Bazar, Malegaon, Bhiwandi and ask whether only residents cast their vote. How can 30-40 Rohingyas and Bangladeshi Muslims live in each house there? Are all those staying in those colonies local voters? They want to verify voter lists only in Hindu households. If you’re only questioning Hindus, then you’re speaking the language of the Muslim League.”
Earlier, addressing MNS workers ahead of local body elections, Thackeray had alleged a massive manipulation of voter data.
“Reliable information has just been received that 9.6 million fake voters have been added. This is an insult to the voters of Maharashtra and the country. All group presidents, branch presidents, and election list heads should go door-to-door and verify the votes,” Thackeray said, adding, “I’m asking the Election Commission not to hold elections in Maharashtra until this is cleaned up.”
His remarks have drawn mixed reactions across the political spectrum.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Member of Parliament (MP) Sanjay Raut came out in support of Thackeray’s concerns.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Raut said: “We have never said we won’t contest the BMC elections. We only said the voter list must be corrected first. According to Raj Thackeray, 9.6 million voters are bogus.”
Raut also announced a joint opposition protest. “On November 1, all Opposition parties will take part in a long march against the bogus voters in the list,” he said.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader further informed that his party chief Uddhav Thackeray, along with his cousin Raj Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, will soon meet with election officials in Maharashtra to discuss discrepancies in the electoral roll.
(With ANI inputs)
