As Maharashtra's debate over alleged irregularities in voter lists intensifies, BJP leader and minister Ashish Shelar has questioned the motives of the opposition, particularly the Thackeray brothers, for what he called a "selective" campaign against fake voters.
"They talk of beating the fake voters up, but why are they only Hindu, Marathi and Dalit? Is this the approach they want to take towards the Bhoomiputra?" Shelar asked, while addressing a press conference in Mumbai.
The Maharashtra minister also cited examples from the Karjat-Jamkhed constituency, represented by NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, claiming to have found discrepancies in the list. Reading out names of voters with identical serial numbers but different details, Shelar alleged that several such entries existed in the area. To underline what he called the "selective outrage" of the opposition alliance, the names he read out were from the Muslim community. "You see Bhoir and Patil, don't you see these names?" he remarked.
"A Self Goal"
Responding to Shelar's remarks, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray called it a "self-goal" by the BJP leader.
"With this statement, Shelar has admitted that the voter list has faults. We have never demanded filtering of specific names, our demand is simple: clean up the entire list," Thackeray said, reiterating that the opposition wants a transparent verification of entries.
Thackeray also announced that Shiv Sena (UBT) shakhas will function as "voter identity centres" once the revised lists are published on November 6.
"If you sleep now, you'll be finished," he warned party workers, urging citizens to visit shakhas to verify the names of their family members and check for any discrepancies.
Raising concerns about young voters, Thackeray pointed out that those turning 18 after October 2024 would not be eligible to vote in the upcoming civic polls. "It's the Gen-Zs who are leading movements across the world, they deserve their right to vote," he said, urging first-time voters to approach party offices so that omissions could be documented.
