In a significant display of political unity, prominent leaders from the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, including Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena – UBT) and Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP), alongside Raj Thackeray of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), spearheaded a protest march. The demonstration, dubbed the ‘Satyacha Morcha’ (March for Truth), was organized to protest alleged discrepancies in the electoral rolls, which the opposition claims are being exploited by the ruling BJP.
The march commenced from Fashion Street and concluded at the BMC headquarters. Participants highlighted issues such as multiple entries for the same voter, incorrect additions, and wrongful deletions from the voter lists. The opposition is strongly advocating for these issues to be resolved before any local body elections are conducted in Maharashtra, emphasizing that the integrity of the electoral process is at stake.
During a rally following the march, Uddhav Thackeray expressed concern over his own voter details being uploaded via a fake mobile number, suggesting a malicious intent to remove him from the voter list. He used strong analogies to criticize the ruling party’s actions, stating, “You steal my party, my symbol, my father’s name, and now you want to steal votes.”
Raj Thackeray corroborated these concerns, pointing out the presence of “lakhs of dual voters in Mumbai.” He cited an example where approximately 4,500 voters were reportedly registered in multiple assembly constituencies. “What is the need for elections with this bogus voter list? Clean it up and then hold polls,” he demanded, suggesting that delaying the polls by a year would be acceptable if it meant ensuring a fair electoral process. He also urged party workers to meticulously scrutinize electoral rolls and report any instances of dual voters.
NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar lauded the protest as a powerful demonstration of unity aimed at safeguarding the Constitution and parliamentary democracy, accusing the ruling governments at the center and in Maharashtra of misusing power against political rivals.
Senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat added that the issue of voter list manipulation had been previously raised by Rahul Gandhi and was now a nationwide concern. He reiterated the demand for the rectification of voter lists before local body elections could be held.