If anomalies in voters’ list not rectified, Oppn will decide whether to allow civic body polls: Uddhav

“Cases should be filed against the EC for corruption and fraud. When our government comes to power at the Centre, we will file cases against the EC and its officers. Everyone is equal before the law and should be treated equally only,” he added.

Thackeray alleged that “the government is selecting voters instead of voters choosing the government” and called the alleged voters’ list manipulation a “threat to democracy”.

He directed party workers to verify the rolls at the ward level by physically visiting the addresses and to remain vigilant on polling day to ensure that “bogus voters” do not cast ballots.

Uddhav even went on to ask his party cadre to thrash someone if they find a bogus voter.

Earlier in the rally, Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray made a detailed presentation on alleged irregularities in the 2024 Assembly voters’ lists, particularly in his Assembly constituency, Worli.

The Sena UBT MLA, a former minister, claimed that the rolls contained duplicate names, entries of deceased persons, voters without EPIC numbers, missing photographs and multiple voters registered at the same address in his constituency.

Aaditya alleged that there are anomalies in the over 19,000 electoral rolls in his constituency.

“Vote theft is election theft,” Aaditya said while given a detailed presentation on it and urged Sena UBT cadre to report discrepancies to the party by carrying out a scrutiny of voters’ lists and verify the names and identity of voters by physically visiting their houses or addresses.

Continuing his attack on the BJP, Uddhav accused the party’s top leadership of trying to “buy” Mumbai.

Without naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he said, “Two traders have their eyes on Mumbai. Someone came and performed bhoomi pujan of the BJP office. An anaconda has come to swallow Mumbai. Will we let it swallow our city?”

Reiterating his doubts about Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Thackeray said, “Our suspicion about EVMs has not gone away. Before this doubt was cleared, the EC announced that there will be no VVPATs in the civic polls. Then how are you going to hold elections? The bogus voters will come and go after casting bogus votes and you will then declare results. If we do something you immediately initiates action against us. Then in this case, legal proceedings should also begin against the EC and they should also be published,”

The former chief minister also accused the BJP of hypocrisy. “The BJP is a gang of self-declared patriots. They call themselves nationalists, but they have to steal votes and break parties to stay in power,” he said, adding, “Whatever happens, we will win the BMC election.”

Referring to his recent appearance at the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s Diwali event, Thackeray said he was open to cooperation where “it benefits Maharashtra”, but warned that the BJP would attempt to communalise politics as elections draw closer.

“Now they will play the Hindu-Muslim card to communalise the atmosphere in the state to win the polls. When people fight, they steal votes. That is their game,” he said.

The Nirdhar Melava, organised under the slogan “Sankalp Vijayacha – Mumbai Jinkayacha” (Resolution for victory – To win Mumbai), was part of the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s campaign to rally its cadre ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.