Why Oppn’s Nov 1 protest is a good start but not enough on substance

Officially, the BJP has dismissed the Opposition’s planned protest as a replay of the Rahul Gandhi-led morcha against the Election Commission (EC) in Delhi. The party believes the Opposition’s attack against the SEC too exposes the lack of issues or agenda before them.

“In politics, every party has the right to protest within the democratic framework. But if you are already prejudiced against the SEC, which is an independent authority, it is unfortunate. You send a wrong message to the public, which is aware of what is right and wrong,” state BJP chief Ravindra Chavan said.

A senior Congress leader, however, said, “Ahead of the local bodies elections, we have to adopt an aggressive posture. When we launch a protest against a constitutional authority like the SEC, we are highlighting the rot in the system, which gives the ruling Mahayuti an added advantage. Our battle is for a bigger cause and not restricted to just one or two polls. Also, what Rahul did in Delhi has gained traction across the country. And Maharashtra is the best place to find out how much public support this issue will elicit. It also gives us some idea of our own standing in public on the ‘vote chori’ issue.”

In a hurriedly convened press conference on Sunday, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut announced, “The Opposition will hold a mega rally in Mumbai against ‘vote fraud’. The morcha will be led by Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray and prominent Congress leaders, among others.”

The announcement comes shortly after the Opposition presented a memorandum to SEC Dinesh Waghmare and Chief Electoral Officer S Chokolimgan on October 14. However, the Opposition is unhappy with the response from the SEC. While reassuring to address errors in the electoral rolls, the SEC maintained, “No political parties can tamper with the voter lists. If there are any discrepancies it would get addressed.”

The Opposition, which wants the SEC to nail the ruling BJP, realises it cannot push its agenda beyond a point with constitutional authorities. Therefore, it has chosen street protests as the best route to ventilate its ire and whip up public support.

Senior NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil said, “We are just asking for clean rolls. We have called all parties to join us in the fight for free and fair elections. Except for the ruling parties everybody has rallied for the cause. If the authorities concerned take up the issue and rectify the mistakes, we have nothing to seek. Unfortunately, they are not ready to accept the discrepancies.”

As Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “The Opposition is just beating around the bush. If they have any concrete proof of vote manipulation they should furnish it to the SEC. As they lack in substance they are trying to built a fake narrative to cover up their own failures and shortcomings.”

State BJP media chief Navnath Ban said, “Opposition politics is in fits and starts. Nobody there knows who is deciding what.”

“If the Shiv Sena (UBT) is so concerned about accommodating the MNS let them first rectify their 20-year-old mistake that led to Raj Thackeray walking away from the undivided Shiv Sena. Uddhav should hand over the reigns of the organisation to Raj as the political heir of late Bal Thackeray. After all, Raj has been consistent with Bal Thackeray’s Hindutva ideology unlike Uddhav who compromised in 2019 by joining the Congress for power,” he said.

“Even today, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is showering affection on Raj for power. Once they achieve their goal, they will dismiss the MNS. If they are truly keen on ending their rivalry, they should be generous and accept Raj as the true custodian of Bal Thackeray’s legacy,” he added.