The political temperature is at its peak before the local body elections to be held in Maharashtra on December 2. Voting is to be held in 242 Municipal Councils and 46 Nagar Panchayats, the results of which will be declared on December 3. But the State Election Commission has postponed the elections of 20 Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats due to problems related to nominations and complaints. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed displeasure over this decision and said that postponing the elections at the last moment is injustice to the remaining candidates.
Opposition’s attack on voter list intensifies
Before the elections, the opposition is continuously attacking the Mahayuti government, alleging irregularities in the voter list. Shiv Sena (UBT) has said that NDA is conspiring to “steal votes” in the name of SIR and it is necessary to discuss every important issue in Parliament. After the allegations of the opposition, BMC has started a big campaign to improve the voter list. Door-to-door survey is going on to remove duplicate names and shift the voters included in the wrong ward to the right place. Voter assistance centers have also been set up at BMC headquarters and all 24 wards.
11 lakh duplicate voters found in Mumbai
BMC has accepted that out of 1.03 crore voters of Mumbai, more than 11 lakh names are duplicate. Names of about 4.33 lakh voters have been found registered more than twice. 27,000 duplicate enrollments have been found in H-West ward alone. Teams of officers are checking each and every detail on the basis of age, gender and photo.
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Unity in opposition, taunt on government
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut targeted Eknath Shinde and BJP and claimed that BJP is preparing to break the MLAs of Shinde faction. He said that Shinde’s Shiv Sena is a “group created by Amit Shah” and there will soon be a major split in it. Raut said, contesting elections only on the basis of money is not democracy. Shinde is not understanding Fadnavis’ game. He said, Ravindra Chavan has been made the state president of BJP for this reason.
Government said, opposition is already looking for excuses
Whereas the Fadnavis government rejected all the allegations of the opposition and said that the fear of losing the elections is already troubling the opposition and it is looking for excuses. Before the voting to be held on December 2, both the administration and political parties are fully active. Now all eyes are on the results to be declared on December 3.
Shinde-Fadnavis denied any rift
Amid the tussle in the grand alliance during the municipal elections, Shinde and Fadnavis have denied any rift in the alliance. Both the leaders said that they are campaigning to help the party workers who help them in the elections.
Recently, several cases of rift and tension have come to light between Shiv Sena (Shinde-led faction) and BJP leaders ahead of the Maharashtra local body elections in 2025. The main reasons for the rift include allegations of wooing workers and leaders from each other’s party, as well as disputes over seat distribution and violation of the non-poaching agreement signed before the elections.
Before the elections in Kankavli, Shiv Sena MLA Nilesh Rane accused BJP’s Vijay Kenwdekar of bribing voters. Nilesh’s brother is BJP minister Nitesh Rane. Shiv Sena’s Deputy CM Eknath Shinde reiterated the need to follow the principles of the alliance after increasing conflicts. During the inauguration program, there were open clashes and street fights between BJP and Shiv Sena workers in Dombivali.
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