96 lakh 'fake' voters in Maharashtra: Raj Thackeray; demands clean-up before local polls
Mumbai (PTI): MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday alleged that 96 lakh fake voters have been added to Maharashtra's electoral rolls and challenged the Election Commission, asking how it will hold the local body polls without cleaning up the voters' list.
Addressing booth-level agents of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Thackeray said if polls are held by rigging the voters' list, then it is the biggest insult to electors. He urged his party workers to verify the voters' list to find out fake voters.
Various Opposition parties, including the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, NCP (SP) and MNS, recently met the State Election Commissioner and Chief Electoral Officer, while claiming that there are duplicate names in the electoral rolls across different addresses and assembly segments.
The Opposition has called for “rectification” in the electoral rolls and removal of “anomalies” ahead of the rural and urban body elections, which are to be completed by January 31, 2026.
The Maharashtra State Election Commission on Saturday said that no political party can tamper with the electoral rolls and that corrections and updates on the voter lists are being managed securely.
Raj Thackeray on Sunday alleged, "An attempt is being made to finish regional parties. I have learnt that 96 lakh fake voters have been enrolled in the voters' list in Maharashtra for the upcoming polls. They had also done this during the state polls as well."
He claimed that 8 to 10 lakh fake voters have been added in Mumbai and 8 to 8.5 lakh in Thane, Pune and Nashik.
"They have done it in every village and city. Will polls take place like this in the country? If polls are held like this, then it is an insult to voters in Maharashtra and the country," he said.
Thackeray said the ruling parties are upset when the Opposition hits out at the Election Commission because that hurts them.
"The Election Commission should show how it conducts the local body polls before cleaning up the electoral rolls. If polls have to be held peacefully, then clean the voters' list first," he warned.
Without naming the ruling BJP, Thackeray said it wants to face the polls by putting fake electors in the voters' list.
"It does not matter whether you cast a vote or not. The match has been fixed. What kind of democracy is this?" he asked.
Hitting out at those who scorned him for poor electoral performances, Thackeray said how will his party have MLAs and MPs if the voting arithmetic itself is "compromised".
Thackeray's party drew a blank in the state polls last year.
He said everyone knows how the ruling party won the 2024 assembly polls in Maharashtra.
When the BJP was in the Opposition, it used to make the same charges against the poll body, Thackeray said.
He also claimed that the operations of Mumbai airport will soon be shifted to the Navi Mumbai airport.
In some days, even the cargo will be shifted to the Vadhavan Port (coming up in neighbouring Palghar district) and land around the Navi Mumbai Airport and port will be given to the Adani group, Thackeray further claimed.
"I will not tolerate development built over the tomb of Marathi people," he said.
Thackeray also claimed that it was India's first Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel, who first opposed the merging of Mumbai with Maharashtra.
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Minister Patil chairs industry meetings to chart growth for key sectors in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Tuesday chaired meetings with industry representatives from the aerospace and defence, machine tools, auto/EV, and green energy sectors to discuss sector growth and government support measures.
The meetings were attended by leading industrialists and their representatives, with some participating virtually.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister for Large and Medium Industries said Karnataka is at the forefront of the country’s aerospace and defence sectors.
He noted that Suzuki and Toyota plan to launch aerial taxi services in Japan by 2028, with Bengaluru-based Sasmos supplying electrical equipment for the project.
Industrialists suggested introducing similar “fly-taxi” services in Karnataka through an appropriate policy, which Patil said would be examined seriously.
The minister highlighted the need to establish testing centres and Common Facility Centres for the aerospace and defence industries and assured that these facilities would be provided.
Suggestions were also made to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for sector growth.
Karnataka has urged the Central Government to approve Defence Corridor projects in the Bengaluru North–Kolar–Chikkaballapur and Dharawada–Vijayapura–Belagavi regions.
Industrialists also suggested a corridor between Bengaluru and Mysuru, Patil said.
He said Karnataka aims to become a hub for defence electronics manufacturing, with plans to establish a 200-acre Defence Electronics Park and a 100-acre Avionics and Sensor Park.
These projects will be implemented once the Special Investment Region is operational, and land availability will not be an issue.
On the machine tools sector, Patil said the industry has recorded an annual turnover of Rs 36,500 crore and is witnessing steady growth.
Large-scale exhibitions have increased demand, and the state must strengthen its capabilities to develop control systems for heavy machinery. One testing unit is already operational in Bengaluru, with another planned for Tumakuru. Expansion of vocational training institutes in industrial areas is also underway.
In the Auto and EV sector, Vision Group members highlighted the need for a network of dry ports and more EV charging stations across the state.
Patil noted that the Tata Group is manufacturing EV buses in Dharawada for nationwide supply. Plans for mini excavator production and export facilitation were also discussed, along with the establishment of a testing facility for two-wheeler EVs.
For the Green Energy sector, the group emphasised the need for a suitable policy on battery-based energy storage and the establishment of data centres.
Patil assured that the government will seriously consider all suggestions and respond positively.
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