Shiv Sena (UBT) alleges voter registration scam, slams Election Commission

The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday accused the online voter registration process in Maharashtra of being a “scam” and criticised the Election Commission of India (ECI) as a “lifeless puppet” operating under the influence of the BJP.

In a strongly worded editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana, the Thackeray-led party claimed that the voter lists are increasingly including the names of deceased individuals while omitting those of living citizens.

The editorial alleged that software developed in Gujarat is being deployed in Maharashtra to manipulate voter records. “Names of those who have migrated are already in the voter list, yet 50–100 additional names are being registered per household.

This is a clear attempt to insert bogus voters. The BJP and Shinde camp used this tactic in the Assembly elections and are reportedly preparing to repeat it in upcoming Zilla Parishad and municipal polls,” the piece stated.

The editorial comes a day after opposition parties met with the state Chief Electoral Officer and the State Election Commissioner, urging free, fair, and transparent local body elections.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) criticised both the ECI and the State Election Commission, claiming that they have failed in their role as impartial guardians of democracy. “Among constitutional institutions functioning without direction, our Election Commission stands out. It is turning a blind eye as democracy is being undermined,” the editorial asserted.

The party also targeted statements by BJP leaders, including Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who claimed that the grand alliance (Mahayuti) would secure 51 per cent of the vote in local body elections, despite the elections and alliances not being officially announced. The editorial questioned the basis of such confidence and called on the Election Commission to intervene.

Shiv Sena (UBT) further cited allegations by Shinde camp legislator Vilas Bhumre of Paithan, who reportedly claimed to have brought 20,000 outside voters to cast their ballots. The editorial demanded a probe into whether these voters were improperly added to the rolls or manipulated voting machines.

Highlighting past electoral discrepancies, the Thackeray camp claimed that 45 lakh votes were added during Maharashtra’s Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, all favouring the BJP, and described the situation as requiring urgent investigation.

The editorial also raised concerns over duplicate voters, noting that in local body elections, voters’ names have been slightly altered but photos remain identical. Since 2018, the Election Commission has been tasked with identifying and removing such duplicates, yet no effective action has reportedly been taken.

The party also criticised the exclusion of VVPAT machines in the forthcoming BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation elections, questioning the Centre’s claim of spending Rs 20,000 crore on EVMs and VVPATs.

According to Shiv Sena (UBT), evidence provided from Nashik and Deolali shows that 3,53,949 voters were duplicates, fake, or migrated, yet the Election Commission has failed to act.

“Conducting transparent elections, from voter lists to polling, is currently being carried out by party activists, not by the constitutional authorities. If the Commission continues to ignore these warnings, the consequences could be far-reaching,” the editorial warned.