Ahead of Opp’s Nov 1 protest, Raut meets Pawar

The morcha will see participation from Shiv Sena (UBT), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), NCP (SP), and other Opposition parties, aimed at highlighting discrepancies in voter lists that, they claim, could compromise the fairness of upcoming local body elections.

Sources said MNS is conducting a ward-wise scrutiny of electoral rolls, with party president Raj Thackeray instructing all Shakha Pramukhs to submit detailed reports on anomalies in the voter lists.

Thackeray guided party leaders on Sunday on the organisation of a major protest march and urged workers to participate actively.

He said the protest is not against the government, but for truth.  “We are fighting against fake voters and to protect democracy,” he said.

Thackeray instructed leaders to plan the march in a way that it attracts attention from the streets of Mumbai all the way to Delhi. Senior party leaders present included Bala Nandgaonkar, Avinash Abhyankar, Abhijeet Panse, Avinash Jadhav, Gajanan Kale, and Yashwant Killedar. Following his instructions, MNS leaders and workers are preparing to hold the protest on a large scale.

Earlier, speaking at a meeting of MNS office-bearers in Mumbai, Thackeray accused the Election Commission of serious lapses. He claimed that Maharashtra’s electoral rolls include around 9.6 million fake voters—8–10 lakh in Mumbai, 8–8.5 lakh in Thane, and thousands more in Pune and Nashik. He questioned how elections can be fair if the voter lists are flawed and demanded that no elections be held in the state until the errors are corrected and all parties are satisfied.

Targeting the BJP, Thackeray said ruling authorities at the Centre, state, and local levels are inflating voter lists to consolidate power, undermining democracy. He also accused Election Commission officials of working under political pressure, compromising transparency.