‘ECI part of election scam’: Sanjay Raut, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray to lead Mumbai protest

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday announced that his party, alongside other opposition leaders, will hold a large protest march in Mumbai against the Election Commission of India (ECI) on 1 November.

Raut alleged that electoral “match fixing” was taking place under the current system and said that leaders including Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray, and Sharad Pawar would participate in the march to demand accountability from the ECI over discrepancies in Maharashtra’s voter list.

“Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, MNS chief Raj Thackeray, Congress leaders, and NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar will meet officials and bring to their attention the issue of discrepancy in the voter list in Maharashtra... They do match fixing and then contest elections,” Raut told reporters.

He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of manipulating elections and said opposition parties had begun coordinated protests against the ECI, starting in Mumbai. “We will have to take to the streets. On November 1, all parties will launch a massive march in Mumbai against the Election Commission,” he declared.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also said that the issue of “vote theft” had been raised earlier by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who claimed that Maharashtra’s 2024 assembly elections were “rigged”. Gandhi had alleged that the number of voters added to the list in the five months preceding the election exceeded those added in the previous five years.

Raut said the opposition’s protests were part of a larger movement to safeguard democracy and ensure transparency in electoral processes.

The planned march will see participation from multiple parties within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, including the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), along with support from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

Sanjay Raut’s comments came after growing discontent among opposition parties regarding alleged irregularities in the voter registration process in Maharashtra. Opposition leaders have accused the ECI of bias and negligence, alleging that names of genuine voters were removed while fake names were added before key elections.

Earlier this year, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the Maharashtra assembly election in November 2024 was “rigged”, asserting that there was a sudden increase in voter turnout after 5 pm and a massive jump in the number of registered voters within months of the election.

According to Raut, the opposition delegation led by Uddhav Thackeray and other senior leaders will soon meet ECI officials to present documented evidence of voter discrepancies.

The ECI has not yet issued an official response to Raut’s allegations. Security arrangements are expected to be heightened in Mumbai ahead of the planned 1 November march.
(With PTI inputs)