Opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), has accused the ruling coalition of misusing government machinery to remove legitimate voters from the electoral rolls ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections scheduled for November 20, 2024. During a press conference, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole stated that the BJP is manipulating the voter lists, despite assurances from the Election Commission regarding free and fair elections in the state.
The MVA, comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena-UBT (Uddhav Thackeray's faction), and NCP-SP (Sharad Pawar's faction), is contesting against the ruling Mahayuti coalition, which includes the BJP, NCP, and the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde. Patole alleged that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are directly involved in these actions, claiming the BJP is fearful of losing the elections. Patole explained that Form Number 7 is being misused to delete names from the electoral roll through objections raised by the ruling party. He asserted that the people of Maharashtra would not forgive the BJP for these tactics.
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Shiv Sena UBT leader Anil Desai also addressed the press, urging voters to exercise their franchise in an unbiased manner. He mentioned that the MVA delegation planned to meet with the Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra later that day to demand the discontinuation of the online name deletion process.
Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut expressed his intention to discuss seat-sharing arrangements with Rahul Gandhi for the MVA alliance, noting that several decisions regarding seat allocations remained pending. Raut criticized the slow decision-making process among Maharashtra's political leaders, stating, "We want this decision to be taken as soon as possible." He emphasized that there is no significant disagreement among the NCP, Shiv Sena, and Congress, though some seats are contested by all three parties.
Raut also criticized the Election Commission, claiming bias against the MVA and alleging that the commission’s decisions favor Shinde and the BJP. He stated, “The Election Commission and the Supreme Court are not neutral. They are the B, C, and D teams of the BJP.”
The Maharashtra Assembly elections will take place in a single phase on November 20, with the counting of votes scheduled for November 23. In the previous 2019 Assembly elections, the MVA coalition won 154 out of 288 seats. This time, the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP, and Congress are united against the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance. In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the MVA won 30 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra, compared to the ruling alliance's 17 seats, with one seat going to an Independent candidate.