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Mumbai, Nov 4 (IANS) Opposition parties on Tuesday strongly criticized the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC)’s move to announce elections for 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats on December 2 without correcting the errors related to duplicate and fake voters in the voter list.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, who had joined the Maha Vikas Aghadi to organize a morcha on November 1 demanding postponement of local body elections to clean up voter lists, said that, after seeing the State Election Commission’s press conference, he is 100 per cent sure that the Election Commission is autonomous, its existence is only in the Constitution.
Firebrand Thackray said, “It is nothing but a puppet in the hands of those in power.”
He said that from duplicate voter registration to numerous irregularities in voter lists, if the Election Commission cannot answer even a single question about all this, then what is the point of the Commission?
“You have abdicated your responsibility long ago, and now you are going to abdicate accountability too?” he asked.
He appealed to the people, “People of Maharashtra, please watch the SEC’s press conference. You will understand from where the gross insult to your vote is coming.”
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar said the SEC should have conducted clean elections with a clean list, but claimed there was pressure on the Election Commission.
“What will be done with voters registered twice? There is no answer to this question; the SEC has responded that they will be given double stars. When you say you will give double or 3 stars… it means the SEC knows that the names are duplicates. Will they announce the list of people whose names are double or more?” He said
He also asked the election body to announce the list in the next two to three days.
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief spokesperson Sachin Sawant said political parties are important components in democracy, adding that the election process cannot be completed without political parties.
“When all the opposition parties come together and demand purging the voter list, it is the duty of the Election Commission to take steps in that regard. Now, the ruling party is also saying the same thing. The Chief Minister is also saying the same, and the opposition is saying that the voter list should be cancelled. BJP leaders also said the same. So, what is the problem now?” He said.
Shiv Sena UBT leader and former leader of opposition Ambadas Danve claimed that though the SEC has announced the schedule for 246 city council and 42 nagar panchayat elections, it did not take into account the “sentiments of the people”.
“The disclosure made by the SEC with respect to duplicate voters is not appropriate. If the names are being starred, and if you know the duplicate names, filter them. There is no need to ask the voter; his name should be where the voter resides, and where there is no name, the name should be filtered,” he commented.
NCP SP Lok Sabha member Nilesh Lanke said that democracy will survive only if elections are conducted with transparency.
He said, “There are thousands of duplicate voters in the voting list. Our demand is that first the voting list should be made transparent and then elections should be conducted. However, the elections have been announced. We will put this failure of the government in front of the voters and we will benefit from it.”
Meanwhile, ruling Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad expressed serious displeasure over the SEC’s statement regarding duplicate voters.
“The SEC has declared the elections, but we are not satisfied with the decision taken regarding duplicate voters. In Buldhana alone, thousands of voters have duplicate names. So, is the poll panel going to take affidavits from lakhs of voters in the state? It would have been better if these names had been removed. What would have happened if the elections were delayed by ten days?” He said.
–IANS
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