'Who is EC working for?' Uddhav on alleged civic poll irregularities

Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday alleged large-scale irregularities in the Maharashtra civic elections, accusing the authorities of undermining democratic processes and demanding the suspension of the state election commissioner.

Addressing an urgent press briefing as polling was underway for elections to 29 municipal corporations across the state, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the former Maharashtra chief minister said the alleged lapses amounted to a “murder of democracy”.

Thackeray described the State Election Commission (SEC) as an “anti-constitutional” institution and questioned its neutrality. “Who is the Election Commission working for?” he asked, alleging collusion between the poll body and the ruling Mahayuti alliance. He claimed the government, having “done no work”, was now misusing official machinery to influence the elections.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) supremo alleged serious flaws in the voter management process, including the presence of duplicate voters. “The BJP and its allies have ensured that duplicate names exist in the voter lists,” he claimed.

Highlighting ground-level issues, Thackeray said voters were facing confusion due to a lack of guidance at polling stations, particularly in Thane. He also alleged discrepancies in electoral rolls, claiming that men’s names were appearing against women’s voter identification numbers.

In another allegation, the former Maharashtra CM said in one constituency in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, individuals linked to the election machinery were openly displaying the names of BJP candidates, influencing voters.

Calling the situation alarming, Thackeray said such practices were eroding public faith in elections. Linking the issue to the Centre’s proposal for simultaneous elections, he remarked that this was “why Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants one nation, one election”.

He demanded immediate action against state election commissioner Dinesh Waghmare, calling for his suspension pending an inquiry into the alleged irregularities.

Pointing to what he called glaring lapses, Thackeray said even BJP minister Ganesh Naik reportedly took nearly four hours to locate his designated polling centre, underscoring the extent of confusion faced by voters. He also alleged the presence of duplicate voters, claiming that the supposed indelible ink used on voters’ fingers could be erased, enabling individuals to cast multiple votes.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief further alleged that BJP posters and symbols were visible inside polling booths, calling it a direct violation of the model code of conduct. Accusing the Election Commission of acting as "personal employees" of the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, he claimed the authorities were employing tactics of “saam, daam, danda, bhed” — inducement, persuasion, coercion and division — to influence the electoral process.

Thackeray questioned the accountability of election officials, asking how public funds were being utilised while, in his view, the Commission remained subservient to those in power.

He demanded a probe into the daily functioning of election commissioners, the placement of political party representatives within election offices, and the publication of daily accountability reports for public scrutiny.

Raising concerns over what he termed institutional apathy, Thackeray said complaints regarding duplicate voters raised during the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections had gone unaddressed, with names continuing to disappear from voter lists and polling centres being shifted without notice.

The Sena UBT chief questioned why no affidavits had been sought from those allegedly listed multiple times and accused the system of using judicial processes as a delaying tactic.

Expanding his criticism to the Centre’s proposal for simultaneous elections, Thackeray described the 'One Nation, One Election' idea as an attempt to create administrative chaos to consolidate power. Reiterating that the ongoing exercise amounted to a “murder of democracy”, he said his party would continue to raise these issues and expose what he described as the BJP’s misuse of authority.