Political Leaders Unite Against Election Commission Over Flawed Voter List
In a rare show of unity, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray launched a scathing attack on the State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday, demanding immediate corrective measures for what they described as a "massively manipulated" draft voter list for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
The leaders presented a joint front, with Aaditya Thackeray leading a delegation to meet SEC officials while Raj Thackeray submitted a strongly worded letter to State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare, accusing the commission of functioning without transparency and failing to adhere to its own timelines.
Shocking Discrepancies in Voter List
Aaditya Thackeray revealed alarming statistics about the draft rolls, claiming that repeated entries of the same voters had crossed one million marks, with some names appearing up to seven times in the list. He highlighted the absurdity of 26,319 households showing more than 10 voters registered at a single address, with some entries indicating over a thousand voters residing in one 10x10 room.
"This is not just clerical error; this is deliberate manipulation," asserted the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader. He further pointed out that nearly seven lakh voters lacked proper house numbers or complete address details in the draft list, calling the situation nothing short of "fraud."
Demand for Extended Objection Period
Both leaders demanded that the SEC extend the period for filing objections to the draft voter list from the current seven days to at least 21 days. They issued a clear ultimatum: if the extension cannot be granted, the civic polls should be deferred entirely to ensure free and fair elections.
Raj Thackeray, in his letter to the State Election Commissioner, questioned the commission's transparency and adherence to schedules. He noted that the last valid voter list was published on October 30, 2024, after which the mandatory annual and quarterly revisions were inexplicably skipped.
Timeline Violations and Lack of Clarity
The MNS chief pointed out several procedural lapses, including the SEC's decision to publish the draft list on November 20 instead of the originally scheduled November 6. This delay meant the commission had effectively gone 13 months without releasing a proper voter list, only to allow a mere eight days for objections and corrections.
"If this is not intentional, what is the reason? The draft list published now is full of confusion—no clarity on gender, addresses or basic details," Raj Thackeray wrote in his letter. He challenged the SEC to demonstrate its autonomy by taking corrective action, stating: "You call yourself an autonomous body—then show it. Keep your spine straight and prove that your authority comes from autonomy."
The joint delegation that met Waghmare on Monday described the situation as 'disgraceful' and demanded that the SEC mobilize its full machinery to rectify the alleged discrepancies before proceeding with the election schedule. Both parties emphasized that without proper voter lists, conducting free and fair elections would be impossible.
