Amid growing closeness between Thackeray cousins, Opp demand to postpone local bodies polls sends contradictory message

Finally, however, when the local bodies elections are going to take place, the Opposition MVA’s demand to further postpone them because of discrepancies in the electoral rolls does not auger well for their image and is contrary to the stand they have adopted all along, demanding that the polls be conducted sooner rather than being delayed indefinitely.

“The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission (EC) to hold the polls at the earliest. The question of further postponement at this stage doesn’t arise,” a highly placed source in the BJP said.

In Maharashtra, the Lok Sabha polls in 2024 were swept by the MVA while the Assembly elections in the same year were swept by the Mahayuti. This makes monitoring the voter lists ward-wise the collective responsibility of every party, whether ruling or opposition.

Also, the coming together of the Thackeray brothers, who have made ‘Marathi Manoos’ a common agenda, has given the Opposition an opportunity to test the emotive plank in the local bodies polls. In the absence of any single agenda for the elections, the Opposition will have to rely on the emotional plank to effectively counter the BJP’s strong votebank built on sharp polarisation and development agenda.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has already announced, “‘Maharashtra’s transformation and Mumbai’s makeover’ is our unwavering commitment. And we have taken giant strides to realise them within time-frames.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) and the Metro 3 line in Mumbai, as part of the BJP-led government’s push for infrastructure projects.

As against the BJP’s poll strategy, the Opposition seems to be grappling on many fronts. To begin with, it has still to publicly announce who all will be part of any pre-poll alliance. Secondly, it also has to chalk out the broader common minimum programmes, although efforts are on to stitch loose ends.

A senior Congress leader, who did not wish to be named, said, “The high command in Delhi will take a decision on alliances. First, let the Thackerays decide where they stand. Will Uddhav and Raj contest or not?”

However, to those doubting the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS unity, Sena (UBT) leader and MP Sanjay Raut says, “They, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS, will contest the polls together. Those who want to join are welcome.”

The Thackeray brothers coming together to celebrate Diwali with their families surely convey the message that the past bitterness among them is over. Uddhav hosted Raj and his family for lunch at Matoshree a few days ago. On Friday, Uddhav inaugurated the MNS’ ‘Deepotsav’ at Shivaji Park. Pictures of Uddhav’s and Raj’s families in one frame was one of happy union.

If one reflects on the developments that took place this week, they clearly indicate the Opposition wants to convey a picture of unity. First, the Opposition’s decision to collectively approach the State Election Commission (SEC) and submit a memorandum highlighting alleged discrepancies in the electoral rolls. In doing so, the Opposition, to some extent, conveyed a clear message of unity. It showed that despite ideological differences, they can come together and fight for a larger cause of free and fair elections in Maharashtra. Along with the Congress, the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and the MNS were part of the group that approached the SEC.

While the MVA invited sharp criticism from both the BJP and the Shiv Sena for crying foul over electoral rolls, what was notable is the SEC taking note of their memorandum and reassuring to address their concerns. This was a positive outcome for the Opposition, which was led by its seniormost leader Sharad Pawar.

State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Chockalingam ordered a probe into allegations of irregularities in Maharashtra’s voters’ lists.

The Opposition delegation furnished cases of duplicate entries, names without addresses and fictitious voters. One example cited over 800 voters registered at a single address in Nashik. It alleged that the names of thousands of MVA supporters were arbitrarily deleted from the electoral rolls, particularly in 160 Assembly segments where the coalition had performed well in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Other issues presented to the CEO included cases where a son was listed as older than his father and incomplete addresses on many voter IDs. The Opposition accused the EC of eroding public trust through opaque voter list management and its handling of Form 7 submissions, which are used to delete names.

While reassuring the Opposition members, Chockalingam forwarded its representation to the Election Commission of India (ECI) for review and consideration.

“The inordinate delay in local bodies polls for the last three years shows the BJP did not have the confidence to face the public. We have challenged them several times,” Uddhav said. “Now our only concern is the elections should be free and fair. If the BJP gets away with manipulating voter lists it would be a farce. So, first the voter rolls should be fixed,” he added.

Similar sentiments were expressed by NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil. “Let them hold the polls through ballot papers. Or at least VVPAT,” he said.

Taking on the Opposition, Fadnavis said, “We want fair polls too. We will provide all necessary support to rectify the electoral rolls. Moreover, stray instances of duplicate names or wrong addresses have been in existence for several decades and we have flagged it in the past too. But to attribute it to manipulation by ruling parties or the EC is highly condemnable. I have never seen an Opposition which is so confused.”