Maharashtra: Oppn demands ‘correction of errors’ in electoral rolls before local body polls

Mumbai, Oct 30 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Opposition parties in Maharashtra on Thursday demanded that elections to the local and civic bodies should not be held until the Election Commission rectifies discrepancies in the electoral rolls, including issues of duplicate voters, bogus voters, and the deletion of genuine voters' names.

Leaders from Shiv Sena-UBT, Congress, NCP-SP, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), CPI-M, and the Peasants and Workers Party, chaired by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, met on Thursday to review preparations for the morcha scheduled in Mumbai on November 1. The protest will highlight alleged irregularities in the voters' lists and demand corrective measures before polls are conducted.

Shiv Sena-UBT legislator Anil Parab, addressing reporters after the meeting, said: "The Opposition parties are taking out a morcha on November 1 so that people know the truth about the irregularities in the voters’ list. Top leaders, including former Union minister and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, state Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal, and MNS chief Raj Thackeray will participate in the protest."

Parab added that the Opposition had already met the State Chief Electoral Officer and the State Election Commissioner to express serious concerns about alleged "vote theft" during the assembly elections and the possibility of its recurrence in the upcoming local and civic polls.

“The opposition has pointed out several anomalies in the electoral rolls. These issues will be strongly raised during the morcha,” he said.

He also said that the morcha will be held between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to ensure minimal inconvenience to Mumbaikars. “The opposition is united in its demand for justice regarding the objections raised about the voters’ list,” Parab said.

NCP-SP legislator Jitendra Awhad accused the BJP-led Mahayuti government of misusing power to suppress dissent.

"They will file cases against Opposition parties for raising these issues. A case was filed to put pressure on NCP (SP) legislator Rohit Pawar, but neither he nor other leaders are afraid. This is the country of Gandhi and Nehru," Awhad asserted.

State Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said the Opposition parties have come together to fight against “vote theft” and will continue to do so until the Election Commission ensures free and fair elections by correcting the errors in the rolls.

Reacting to the Opposition's move, BJP legislator Pravin Darekar hit back, accusing them of misleading the public.

"Despite clarifications from the poll panel, they continue to spread lies. Those who live by falsehoods are suddenly talking about truth. This is pure political theatre aimed at gaining sympathy. All the thieves have united because they are desperate for power,” Darekar said. “BJP and its allies will expose how they are attempting to steal votes,” he added.

Source: IANS