Maharashtra Assembly election: State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule dismisses voters' list tampering allegations

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Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Sunday, October 20, countered the allegations of tampering with the voters' list in the state with the help of the Election Commisison and dismissed the the accusations as laughable, reported news agency ANI.

"It is very laughable. Does it ever happen in the Election Commission? Can anyone interfere [in the workings of the Election Commission]? On the contrary, during the Lok Sabha polls, 1.65 lakh votes were missing from Nagpur in the electoral rolls that were present in the 2019 general elections," Bawankule told ANI.

"We brought the entire matter before the Election Commission. I myself met with the EC (Election Commission) and the state election commissioner to raise the issue of manipulation in the entire Lok Sabha election in Maharashtra . We submitted a detailed list of names, highlighting that these individuals were registered in the 2019 parliamentary polls while there are bogus names in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," Bawankule explained.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Member of Parliament (MP) Sanjay Raut accused BJP of tampering with the voters' list in the state for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly election with the assistance of the poll body. He stated that the Opposition plans to raise this issue on international platforms.

"They [BJP] are attempting to manipulate the voters' list with the help of the Election Commission. BJP is contesting nearly 150 assembly seats and is identifying those who voted for the Maha Vikas Aghadi, replacing their names with bogus voters," Raut told reporters.

"We will raise this issue on international platforms and inform people about what is happening in the country," he added.

Raut also alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is looking to impose President's Rule in the state after the Maharashtra Assembly election. "But we will not allow this to happen. (Party chief) Uddhav Thackeray has called a special meeting today at 12:30 pm, and we will make an important decision," he stated earlier on Sunday.

Raut also claimed that there are discrepancies in the voters' lists in both Maharashtra and Jharkhand, asserting, "They [BJP] attempted similar actions in Haryana as well. We defeated them in the Lok Sabha elections, and they are losing in the Vidhan Sabha elections too."

The Maharashtra Assembly election will be held on November 20, and the results to be declared three days later.

(With ANI inputs)