Aaditya Thackeray urges 21-day window for objections on BMC draft rolls, citing delays from Nov 7 to 20 that allegedly enabled manipulations excluding young voters.
Alleges duplicates, ghost entries, and crammed lists in tiny homes; seeks bulk party filings, one-time annexures, and probes into list access for fair play.
Warns of protests and sedition suits against SEC if unaddressed; MNS and MVA back the letter, framing it as 'vote chori' to tilt December 2 civic polls
Aaditya Thackeray Meets State Election Commission, Seeks Extension Of Two Weeks
Shiv Sena (UBT) firebrand slams 'disgraceful chaos' in BMC draft lists riddled with duplicates and ghost voters, demanding 21-day window and bulk objections to avert 'vote chori' ahead of December 2 Maharashtra civic polls.
Summary
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray met Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) officials on Monday, to press for a two-week extension—specifically 21 days instead of the allotted seven—for filing objections and suggestions on the controversial draft voter rolls for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Handing over a letter signed by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray, Aaditya decried the "absolutely disgraceful and unpardonable chaos" in the rolls, released on November 20 after multiple delays from an initial November 7 deadline, accusing the process of deliberate manipulation to disenfranchise young voters and bolster ruling party strongholds.
In a fiery post-meeting press conference outside SEC chief Dinesh Waghmare's office, Aaditya highlighted glaring anomalies: duplicate and triplicate entries, voters listed without EPIC numbers or house addresses, and up to 50 fictitious names crammed into single-room tenements housing just 8,32,326 residents across Mumbai—flaws he branded as "vote chori" (vote theft) and a "conspiracy" to shift demographics ward-wise in BJP-weak areas.
He slammed the SEC's reliance on July 1, 2025, Assembly rolls, which excludes thousands of 18+ first-time voters turning eligible post-date, and demanded bulk objection filings by parties, a one-time annexure update, and probes into who accessed the delayed lists—threatening street agitations and sedition cases if ignored, echoing his earlier calls for the SEC's suspension. SEC officials reportedly gave in-principle nod to bulk submissions and online portals, but Aaditya vowed relentless scrutiny to ensure "one person, one vote."
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