ബിജെപിക്ക് അനുകൂലമായി വോട്ടർ പട്ടികയിൽ കൃത്രിമം കാണിക്കുന്നുവെന്ന് ആരോപിച്ച് മഹാരാഷ്ട്രയിൽ പ്രതിപക്ഷ പാർട്ടികൾ പ്രതിഷേധ മാർച്ച് നടത്തി. തിരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പ് കമ്മീഷൻ ജനാധിപത്യത്തെ അട്ടിമറിക്കുകയാണെന്ന് ഉദ്ധവ് താക്കറെ ആരോപിച്ചു. വോട്ടവകാശം കവർന്നെടുക്കുന്ന ഏകാധിപത്യ പ്രവണതയ്ക്കെതിരെയുള്ള പോരാട്ടമാണിതെന്ന് നേതാക്കൾ വ്യക്തമാക്കി.
MUMBAI: Opposition parties in Maharashtra on Sunday marched against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging large-scale manipulation of electoral rolls through the random addition and deletion of voters to favour the BJP in elections.
Thousands of people participated in the "Garjana" march from Metro Cinema to the BMC headquarters in Mumbai, with Opposition leaders alleging that the Election Commission of India was undermining voters' right to choose their government. The protesters raised slogans against Kumar over what they described as his "nefarious conduct" as Chief Election Commissioner.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, MNS chief Raj Thackeray, NCP-SP state president Jayant Patil, Congress leaders Balasaheb Thorat, Vijay Wadettiwar and Jitendra Awhad, Shiv Sena leader Shashikant Shinde, former minister Anil Deshmukh and others attended the march.
The Opposition said that in a democracy, people decide through their votes who gets elected and who is defeated. They alleged that this right was being "hijacked" by the BJP through the Election Commission and claimed that people were no longer able to freely choose their government.
Uddhav Thackeray said the country was fighting a "second battle for independence", asserting that the fight was not against any individual, caste or religion but against the "tyranny and authoritarian conduct" of those in power.
"We are fighting to get real freedom to India that has been muzzled by the BJP through the Election Commission of India and other independent institutions that are no longer free and fair. When Narendra Modi was elected for the first time in 2024, he made the Make in India slogan popular, but today, a dictator has been made in India. We are here to defeat that dictator who wants to snatch the voting rights of the people through the SIR exercise," Uddhav said.
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He alleged that 13 crore voters had been denied the right to vote through the exercise and claimed that the move was aimed at helping the BJP win elections in Maharashtra and West Bengal despite what he described as palpable public anger against the incumbent government.
"Now, the time has come to say BJP and its puppets who are appointed in independent institutions, go back," he said.
Uddhav also questioned how many illegal Bangladeshi immigrants had actually been identified through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. He accused the BJP of "stealing" votes and lawmakers and alleged that the party had also taken donations made to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
He said the present political situation could eventually lead to prosecutions similar to the Nuremberg Trials and warned that if people became agitated, they could "burn down its throne".
Uddhav also criticised the Supreme Court over the hearing concerning the SIR exercise in West Bengal, alleging that independent institutions were being controlled.
He said the SIR exercise had resulted in the deletion of voters in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu and alleged that the exercise was being used to influence electoral outcomes.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray said he was among the first political leaders to raise his voice against EVMs and alleged vote theft. He said he had raised the issue in 2017-18 and met Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in 2018.
"People are now realising that they no longer vote fairly and their votes are manipulated. In a democracy, it is the right of people to vote and choose the government, but here in India, the Election Commission is deciding whom to elect and whom to defeat. This is the irony of democracy," Raj said.
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He claimed that Maharashtra alone saw an increase of 60 lakh voters between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections, which were held within a gap of about six months.
"In Maharashtra alone, the 60 lakh voters were increased in 2024 Maharashtra state assembly election, after the BJP badly lost the majority of Lok Sabha seats in the general elections. How come 60 lakh voters are added within six months between two elections in Maharashtra? What kind of Viagra was used by the people who are in positions to increase the voters?" Raj said.
Raj said any government in power normally listens to people's concerns because of the fear of losing the next election. However, he alleged that the present government had no such fear because it knew how elections could be won through the Election Commission.
He said the SIR exercise should be cancelled and demanded that elections be conducted using ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines.
Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat said Rahul Gandhi had raised allegations of vote theft and provided evidence to support them. He also criticised the change in the process for appointing Election Commission members, particularly the removal of the Supreme Court judge from the selection panel.
Thorat described Gyanesh Kumar as a "symbol of this corrupt administration" and said the period since 2014 had been a "dark period" for the country.
Political party flags were not allowed during the march, with participants asked to carry only the national tricolour.
The march also received support from Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, who referred to his earlier "Jail Bharo Andolan" and appealed to people to treat the current situation as "now or never".
.3 crore voters may be deleted after SIR in Maharashtra, claims Rohit Pawar.Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp