Those spreading Hindu-Muslim hatred are not Hindu; ours is clean Hindutva: Uddhav

Terming Hindutva as not intended to spread hatred between Hindus and Muslims, and stating that those who promote discord between communities cannot be Hindu while claiming his party’s Hindutva is clean, Uddhav Thackeray, the chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), challenged the BJP if it dares to hold elections using ballot papers instead of EVM.

Speaking at a public meeting to mark the birth anniversary of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, Thackeray also urged the BJP-led Centre to hold elections using traditional ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He challenged the ruling party to set aside EVMs if it had any sense of accountability, amidst growing opposition concerns over the integrity of the electronic voting system.

Thackeray’s remarks came in the context of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Elections, which were a significant setback for Shiv Sena (UBT), as the party saw a sharp decline in seats, securing only 20, while the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition triumphed with 235 seats. The call for a return to paper ballots aligns with demands from several opposition leaders within the INDIA bloc, who have raised doubts about the fairness of EVMs in elections.

Earlier this month, the Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, rejected calls for reverting to paper ballots, dismissing the idea as outdated and regressive, arguing that such a move would undermine the election process.

Meanwhile, a recent legal challenge against the use of EVMs was dismissed by the Delhi High Court, which found no merit in the petition. The court, led by Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru, upheld the use of EVMs, despite concerns raised about the lack of specific justifications for their use in individual constituencies.