Raj Thackeray Accuses Election Commission of Adding 96 Lakh Fake Voters in Maharashtra

Mumbai: Raj Thackeray, the founder and President of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), made serious allegations against the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday, claiming that nearly 96 lakh spurious entries have been included in Maharashtra’s electoral rolls.

Speaking at a rally, the MNS chief called upon the Election Commission to 'cleanse' the voter lists and insisted that the forthcoming local body elections in the state should be delayed until the rectification process is approved by all involved political parties. He characterised manipulated elections as the most severe insult to the electorate. During the rally, he also reiterated his disapproval of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Addressing MNS booth-level workers in Goregaon, Mumbai, Mr. Thackeray argued that holding polls with tampered voter rolls renders the outcome predetermined, regardless of public participation, likening it to a fixed political contest. He questioned why the ruling parties were intervening in a matter directed at the EC, suggesting it struck a nerve because they were aware of the underlying manipulations.

Mr. Thackeray contended that efforts were underway to marginalise regional political outfits, disclosing that he had learned of the 96 lakh spurious entries added ahead of upcoming local body elections, a tactic he alleged was also used before the 2024 Assembly polls. He specified that between eight and ten lakh bogus voters had been included in Mumbai, with comparable numbers, ranging from 8 to 8.5 lakh, in Thane, Pune, and Nashik.

He noted that the electoral calculations were fundamentally flawed, dismissing criticism aimed at certain parties for failing to secure seats, as it was widely understood how those victories had been achieved.

Reflecting on the recent Assembly elections, Raj Thackeray said the election of 232 MLAs from the MahaYuti alliance had left Maharashtra in quiet disbelief, with both voters and the victors themselves appearing astonished. He implied that the methods employed in national elections were now transparent to all.

At the rally, Raj Thackeray screened an archival video of PM Modi from his time in opposition, in which the latter had alleged partiality on the part of the Election Commission. He criticised the BJP’s current leadership, noting that the party had voiced identical grievances when they were not in power.

He stressed that discrepancies in voter lists were a longstanding problem, which he had highlighted as early as 2016-17 concerning electronic voting machines and electoral rolls. These accusations emerge as preparations for local elections intensify, fuelling apprehensions regarding the fairness of the electoral process in Maharashtra. The Election Commission has yet to issue a statement in response to Raj Thackeray’s claims.