Raj Thackeray's Electoral Battle: Why Mumbai's November 1 Morcha Could Shake Delhi

At a meeting with party office-bearers, Thackeray demanded that the local and civic body elections be postponed by a year to clean up the electoral rolls. He also gave a demonstration on how Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) can allegedly be misused and votes stolen.

“There have been no local or civic body elections in Maharashtra for the last five years. So first, clean up the voters’ list. Don’t hold elections for another year — hold them only when the rolls are rectified. After that, if we lose, we will accept it. But right now, the match is fixed,” Thackeray said, accusing the Election Commission of giving “unacceptable and illogical” responses.

“The Chief Election Commission says CCTV footage cannot be shared due to privacy concerns. Voting can be private, but how can voters have privacy? The poll panel’s logic doesn’t hold,” he remarked.

He asserted that the honest voters of Maharashtra were being “insulted” by the present situation. “If results don’t reflect the real votes, it is an insult to democracy. All this must be corrected. Our morcha on November 1 must be massive — its echo should reach Delhi,” he said.

Thackeray reiterated his demand for the reintroduction of ballot papers, pointing out that “developed nations still use them.” He urged MNS workers to go door to door to identify duplicate entries and bogus voters. “Those who have their names registered twice should be deleted. Legal matters are underway, but we will fight this step by step. Maharashtra has always taken the first step — this time too, it will lead the fight against vote theft,” he said.

Emphasising that Delhi must “know what is burning in Maharashtra,” Thackeray urged every voter to join the march. “If your boss refuses to give you leave, slap him — he is also a voter. Elections must be transparent. Even Prime Minister Modi once said ballot papers are better — take it seriously,” he said.

Announcing that he would travel by suburban train to reach the morcha venue in south Mumbai, Thackeray asked voters to stay alert during the upcoming local elections. “If you don’t pay attention, you’ll get bananas in your hands,” he quipped.

He added, “People say Raj Thackeray’s meetings draw crowds but not votes. That’s because of all these irregularities — otherwise, the entire country would be shaken.”

Thackeray also took aim at Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, calling him a “hypocrite” for becoming chief minister despite earlier posturing.

- IANS