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New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) In a significant escalation on the allegations of voter-theft, fake and duplicate voters leveled against the Election Commission, opposition parties including Raj Thackeray (MNS), Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena UBT), Harshvardhan Sapkal (Congress), and Jitendra Awhad (NCP Sharad Pawar faction) on Thursday announced a major protest on November 1 over irregularities in the voter list.
Notably, amid allegations of vote theft and fake and duplicate names in voter lists, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) on Wednesday directed all concerned authorities to check possible duplicate names in voter lists while taking due precautions and taking necessary action to maintain transparency and accuracy in the upcoming local and civic body elections to be held in the state.
The SEC also reiterated that there is no provision to use Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in these elections.
The statement comes days after opposition parties alleged that despite receiving complaints during the 2024 state assembly elections, the election body has failed to address the menace of duplicate names in the voter list.
Opposition parties have organized a protest in Mumbai in this regard, demanding that elections to local and civic bodies be conducted only after the errors in the voter list are rectified.
Similarly, earlier this week, Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray announced on Monday that after the change of government at the Centre, a case will be filed against the Election Commissioner and the Election Commission will be taken to court.
In his sharp speech at the party’s scheduled meeting ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Thackeray strongly criticized the Election Commission over irregularities in voter lists across the state and the country and the issue of fake voters.
“Everyone is equal before the law. If we commit any crime and are caught within the ambit of the law, the Election Commissioner should also be punished. There is still time for the next Lok Sabha. When our government comes to power, we will file a case against the Election Commissioner and bring him before the court,” he warned.
–IANS
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