In a dramatic press conference that has cast a shadow over the upcoming civic body elections in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MLA Aaditya Thackeray has raised serious questions about the integrity of the electoral process, alleging that the newly released voters' lists are filled with unacceptable and deliberate errors.
Shocking Allegations of Electoral Manipulation
Addressing the media at Shiv Sena Bhavan in Mumbai on Friday, Aaditya Thackeray, who also heads the Yuva Sena, stated that his party's review of the draft electoral rolls had uncovered a pattern of discrepancies so severe that it compromises the very foundation of a free and fair election. The scale of the discrepancies suggested that the election process had been compromised before the campaign had even begun, he asserted.
Thackeray presented a litany of specific issues his party claims to have identified. He alleged the presence of numerous duplicate and even triplicate entries for the same voter, effectively giving some individuals multiple votes. Furthermore, he claimed the lists include the names of people who do not exist, a clear red flag for potential manipulation.
Impossible Addresses and Missing Voters
One of the most glaring issues highlighted was the registration of an implausibly high number of voters at single, cramped addresses. Thackeray cited instances where 40 to 50 voters were registered at addresses that could not possibly house so many people. In a particularly egregious example, he revealed that a shop had been shown as a residential address for several voters, a clear violation of electoral guidelines.
Beyond fabricated entries, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also accused the Election Commission of mishandling ward boundaries and shifting voters from one polling booth to another without any logical explanation or public notification. This has led to widespread confusion, with many genuine voters unable to locate their names or their buildings on the list. Entire blocks are missing or mixed up, Thackeray described, labeling the situation as alarming.
A National Pattern and Disenfranchised Youth
Thackeray strategically linked these local issues to a broader national concern, pointing to similar allegations made by opposition leaders in other states. He referenced Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's comments on alleged irregularities in Haryana and reports from Bihar where voting numbers in some areas reportedly exceeded the number of listed voters.
A major point of contention raised was the Election Commission's decision to use the July 1, 2025 voter roll for all 29 municipal corporations going to the polls. Thackeray argued that this cutoff date is unjust as it would leave out thousands of young adults who turned 18 after that date, effectively disenfranchising them from participating in their first-ever civic election.
During the press conference, Yuva Sena secretary Suraj Chavan presented specific cases the party had identified during its preliminary checks, lending concrete examples to the allegations. Thackeray warned that if left unaddressed, these discrepancies could significantly influence the results in key civic bodies like the Mumbai and Pune municipal corporations. They want to take control of our biggest cities by manipulating the process, he cautioned. The party plans to publicly release a detailed compilation of the alleged errors in the coming week, escalating the pressure on the election authorities.
In a statement that captured the gravity of the situation, Aaditya Thackeray concluded, If this is the voters' list, then there is no election left. It becomes a selection, insisting that the ruling alliance stands to benefit from the chaos. He ended with an urgent appeal to the residents of all municipal corporations to immediately check their names and addresses in the published list to safeguard their democratic right.
