Aaditya Thackeray Hints at ‘Surgical Strike’ to Expose ‘Vote Fraud’
Shiv Sena (UBT) claims irregularities; press conference to reveal findings soon
Mumbai: After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has hinted that he will carry out a ‘surgical strike’ on the alleged voter fraud in Maharashtra. However, he refused to disclose the date or time of his “expose”.
“Our party has found very many chinks in the armour (of the Election Commission) and it will bring them out very soon,” Thackeray said while speaking at the India Today Conclave.
Thackeray claimed that just before the assembly polls, the party had written to the Election Commission about the sudden spike in the number of voters, missing names of voters and mismanagement at the booths.
“Just before the assembly polls, the party had written to the Election Commission of India (ECI) about the sudden spike in the number of voters, missing names of voters and mismanagement at the booth,” he added.
He, however, added that he would not reveal the date or the timing of when the disclosure would be made. “Let me not leak it. We cannot let out the timings of the surgical strike. We will have a press conference with the data we are working on right now. We are putting it together,” Thackeray said.
When asked if his press conference would be similar to that of Congress leader and UBT ally Rahul Gandhi, Thackeray replied in the affirmative. “Absolutely. We are doing it,” he said.
Thackeray’s remarks came days after Rahul Gandhi, in a series of press briefings, accused the poll body of vote theft and protecting those who ‘destroyed democracy’. The Congress leader accused the Election Commission of India of ‘vote chori’ to aid the win of the ruling BJP.
The ECI, however, dubbed the allegations as ‘incorrect and baseless’ and said, “No deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public, as misconceived by Gandhi.”
The Maharashtra assembly polls were held in November 2024. The BJP-led Mahayuti swept the elections, routing the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Congress, Shiv Sena(UBT) and NCP(SP). However, opposition parties raised suspicions over the results as the ruling alliance had fared poorly in the state’s Lok Sabha elections.