Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday raised serious objections over the voting process in the ongoing Maharashtra Municipal Corporation elections, claiming that officials were using pens to mark voters' fingers instead of indelible ink. After casting his vote along with his family members, he told reporters that the ink mark could be wiped off easily with sanitiser. His remarks quickly triggered strong political reactions in the state.
Thackeray questions State Election Commission
The MNS chief also trained his guns on the State Election Commission for deploying the Printing Auxiliary Display Unit (PADU) for the first time in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls. The device is meant to serve as a backup for counting in case of any malfunction in electronic voting machines. BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani had earlier explained that PADU units would remain with Returning Officers and would be used only if an emergency arises.
However, Raj Thackeray accused the SEC of failing to clarify the use of these units and claimed that extending canvassing time had given ruling parties an opportunity to distribute money. "The ruling government doesn't want the Opposition parties... The entire administration is being run by the government to win the polls... This is not the sign of a healthy democracy... There is a limit to misuse of power," he said, urging his party workers to stay alert to any malpractice attempts.
Uddhav Thackeray echoes concerns
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who also cast his vote in Mumbai, echoed Raj Thackeray's concerns. He said voters had been calling him since morning, saying the indelible ink marks on their fingers were getting erased. He further added that many people were complaining about their names missing from the electoral rolls.
It should be noted here that the two cousins, who parted ways in 2005, recently formed an alliance for the BMC polls with a renewed focus on the Marathi identity and the cause of the Marathi manoos. With the civic elections taking place in the city for the first time since 2017, the duo has been attempting to regain control of what is considered Asia's richest civic body.
Maharashtra Municiapl Corporation Elections
According to the State Election Commission (SEC), a total of 3.48 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots to decide the fate of 15,908 candidates contesting 2,869 seats across 893 wards in 29 municipal corporations. A total of 39092 Polling centre has been set up across the state. Polling will be held on January 15 from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm, with vote counting scheduled to begin on Friday, January 16.
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