The MNS chief Raj Thackeray demanded the cancellation of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra and the use of ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines. The protest was also attended by Uddhav Thackeray, Sharadchandra Pawar, and Congress leaders.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has demanded that the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra be cancelled and that elections be conducted using ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines. This call was made at a rally in Mumbai jointly led by Raj Thackeray and his cousin, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) chief Uddhav Thackeray. The march was held against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR process, and was also attended by leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Congress.
Thackeray questioned the deletion of voters through the SIR process, saying that two crore people had so far been removed and asking who those voters were. He also raised concerns about the increase in voter numbers between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections, stating that 40 lakh to 60 lakh voters were added in the state between the two elections.
Thackeray questioned the difference in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s vote totals, saying it received 2.44 crore votes in the Lok Sabha election and 3.16 crore in the Assembly election six months later. He accused the ruling party of wielding power unfairly.
Thackeray stated that it should be the people, rather than the Election Commission who decide which party forms the government and which remains in Opposition. The rally ended near the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters in south Mumbai.
Uddhav Thackeray described the protest as a fight to protect democracy and the Constitution and accused the Election Commission of acting in favour of the BJP.
'If the SIR was conducted to weed out Bangladeshis from the voters’ list, then how many Bangladeshis residing illegally in the country did the government find?' he asked. He also accused the chief election commissioner of being ‘a weapon of the BJP’. 'The BJP should realise that people are quiet today,' Uddhav Thackeray added. 'If they become agitated, they will burn down its throne.’
Source:
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