Mumbai : Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has alleged that nearly 96 lakh fake voters have been added to the electoral rolls across Maharashtra ahead of the upcoming state elections.
Addressing MNS office bearers from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Thackeray claimed that 8 to 10 lakh fake names were added in Mumbai alone, with similar irregularities detected in Thane, Pune, and Nashik. He demanded that the Election Commission of India (ECI) halt the election process until the voter lists are thoroughly verified and made transparent.
Calling it a “conspiracy to weaken regional parties,” Thackeray likened the issue to the historic struggle for a united Maharashtra, asserting that the identity and political power of Marathi people were at stake.
He accused the ruling party of orchestrating voter list manipulations to maintain control over the state and criticized the ECI for stopping voter list updates after July 25, which he said deprived many young voters of their rights.
During his speech, Thackeray also played an old video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then Gujarat Chief Minister, accusing the Election Commission of rigging polls. He urged all parties to participate in door-to-door voter verification and demanded a return to ballot paper voting for fair elections.
Thackeray further alleged that powerful industrialists were being given control over Maharashtra’s resources, citing major infrastructure projects like Atal Setu and the Mumbai Sea Link as serving corporate, not public, interests.
The ECI and the courts, including the Bombay High Court and Supreme Court, have previously dismissed similar allegations as baseless. However, opposition parties continue to question the integrity of the voter lists, especially in Mumbai, Palghar, and Thane.
