96 lakh ‘fake’ voters in Maharashtra: Raj Thackeray; demands clean-up before local polls

MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday alleged that 96 lakh fake voters had been added to Maharashtra’s electoral rolls and challenged the Election Commission, asking how it would hold the local body polls without cleaning up the voters’ list.

Addressing booth-level agents of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Thackeray said if polls were held by rigging the voters’ list, then it would be the biggest insult to electors. He urged his party workers to verify the voters’ list to find out fake voters.

Various Opposition parties, including the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, NCP (SP) and MNS, recently met the State Election Commissioner and Chief Electoral Officer, while claiming that there were duplicate names in the electoral rolls across different addresses and assembly segments.

The Opposition has called for “rectification” in the electoral rolls and removal of “anomalies” ahead of the rural and urban body elections, which are to be completed by January 31, 2026.

The Maharashtra State Election Commission on Saturday said that no political party could tamper with the electoral rolls and that corrections and updates on the voter lists were being managed securely.

Raj Thackeray on Sunday alleged, “An attempt is being made to finish regional parties. I have learnt that 96 lakh fake voters have been enrolled in the voters’ list in Maharashtra for the upcoming polls. They had also done this during the state polls as well.”

He claimed that 8 to 10 lakh fake voters had been added in Mumbai and 8 to 8.5 lakh in Thane, Pune and Nashik.

“They have done it in every village and city. Will polls take place like this in the country? If polls are held like this, then it is an insult to voters in Maharashtra and the country,” he said.

Thackeray said the ruling parties are upset when the Opposition hits out at the Election Commission because that hurts them.

“The Election Commission should show how it conducts the local body polls before cleaning up the electoral rolls. If polls have to be held peacefully, then clean the voters’ list first,” he warned.

Without naming the ruling BJP, Thackeray said it wanted to face the polls by putting fake electors in the voters’ list.

“It does not matter whether you cast a vote or not. The match has been fixed. What kind of democracy is this?” he asked.

Hitting out at those who scorned him for poor electoral performances, Thackeray asked how would his party have MLAs and MPs if the voting arithmetic itself was “compromised”.

Thackeray’s party drew a blank in the state polls last year.

He said everyone knew how the ruling party won the 2024 assembly polls in Maharashtra.

When the BJP was in the Opposition, it used to make the same charges against the poll body, Thackeray said.

He also claimed that the operations of Mumbai airport would soon be shifted to the Navi Mumbai airport.

In some days, even the cargo would be shifted to the Vadhavan Port (coming up in neighbouring Palghar district) and land around the Navi Mumbai Airport and port would be given to the Adani group, Thackeray further claimed.

“I will not tolerate development built over the tomb of Marathi people,” he said.

Thackeray also claimed that it was India’s first Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel, who first opposed the merging of Mumbai with Maharashtra.