Mumbai: As the Maharashtra assembly elections draw closer, the opposition Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) has levelled some serious accusations against the emerging Mahayuti government whom they accuse of modifying voters list. On the same day on Friday MVA leaders alleged that the voters have been systematically deleted from constituencies which anti MVA had performed well in the previous Lok Sabha elections . While briefing the MVA, it said that from 2,500 to 10,000 names were removed from each constituency’s voters list.
It may be recalled that Nana Patole, Maharashtra Congress chief, recently mired the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s neutrality. He said to the media that “Election commission has made many efforts to ensure free and fair elections in Maharashtra but if election commission is all under the control of ruling party then how vote can be transparency?”. Patole also dared the BJP to contest the future poll freely saying that they are trying to ‘murder democracy’ in order to avoid defeat.
MVA’s demands include verification for the Election Commission:
While addressing the media in Mumbai, he specifically urged the Election Commission as the following. The Hindu quotes him saying that the commission should not accept the Form 7 which is used to delink the voters’ names and that the process of online registration should cease. Besides, Yogi Adityanath also asked for the suspension of the ‘Yojanadoot’ scheme, which relates to the promotion of various government schemes in the different states. He blamed the initiative’s workers, some of whom he claimed belong to the RSS, of speaking for the ruling party and being paid by taxpayers.
Traffic chaos, noise pollution, air pollution and reduced parking spaces, both Shiv sena (ubt) and NCP echo concerns. They were echoed by Anil Desai, a legislator from the Uddhav faction of the Shiv Sena (UBT). He said that MVA delegation will meet the CEO of Maharashtra to present their demands. Jitendra Awhad of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) joined the chorus and alleged that the Election Commission had not acted against DGP Rashmi Shukla as reported for phone tapping. Awhad went a step ahead and lambasted the poor quality of printed voter list and blamed the Election Commission.
Key Election Dates
Maharashtra has announced it is going to poll all 288 Assembly seats single phase. The vote shall be conducted on or before 20th of November while the counting of the votes is expected to be done on or before the 23rd of November.
But the charges of tampering with the voter list by the MVA, amidst the Assembly election preparation in Maharashtra introduces a new facet to the political battle. After the tossing call for transparency and campaigning against the unfair play all who counts would look towards the Election Commission for the fairness and credibility of the election process that is likely to be set in motion.