Thanos appears on voter ID in Malegaon, Rahul Gandhi targets BJP over ‘Vote Chori’
Malegaon: In a bizarre incident, a voter ID card carrying the image of Marvel’s fictional villain Thanos has gone viral from Malegaon, Maharashtra, triggering a wave of memes and fresh concerns about irregularities in electoral rolls.
The viral video showed the voter ID listing mismatched details, including an incorrect name, wrong age, and incomplete address. Former Malegaon MLA Asif Shaikh Rashid alleged that his constituency alone recorded more than 6,000 voters without addresses, 3,502 ID cards with tampered photos, and 11,298 duplicate entries.
Social media users turned the episode into a memefest, joking about “aliens entering India’s electoral rolls.” One viral post read, “Forget Avengers, in India even Thanos has to stand in line with Aadhaar and voter ID.”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also shared the video on Instagram, captioning it “New voter unlocked for BJP.” The Congress has alleged large-scale manipulation of voter lists across 48 Lok Sabha constituencies, citing duplicate entries, invalid addresses, and bulk registrations. The party has launched ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ campaigns in Bihar to highlight what it calls “vote theft.”
The Election Commission has dismissed these allegations as baseless, demanding formal affidavits or apologies from the Congress. BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, ridiculed the Congress’s campaign, describing it as a “ghuspathiya bachao yatra” or “save the infiltrators rally.”
Dear @elonmusk,
— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) August 30, 2025
If you ever hold elections on Mars, consider approaching India’s Election Commission, @ECISVEEP. We are already ahead in the game. We gave voting rights to Thanos from Titan, Saturn’s moon. If we can manage Saturn, Mars will be a cakewalk. pic.twitter.com/gZHMMC6GeY
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BJP will form govt in Bengal with thumping majority: Nabin
Mirzapur (UP) (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday voiced confidence that his party will form the government in West Bengal with a "thumping majority".
Polling is underway for 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, covering key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas.
The high-stakes contest is being seen as decisive for the ruling TMC's bid for a fourth consecutive term and the BJP's push to form its first government in the state. The first phase held on April 23 recorded a high voter turnout of over 93 per cent, reflecting intense electoral engagement.
Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Nabin said, "The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority."
Earlier in the day, the BJP chief visited the Vindhyavasini temple and offered prayers. The rituals were conducted by his priest Acharya Agastya Kumar Dwivedi.
On his first visit to the district after assuming office, Nabin was welcomed by party workers at several places. At the temple, he was received by city MLA Ratnakar Mishra and District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Gangwar, who felicitated him with a traditional 'angvastram'.
After offering prayers for about 10 minutes amid Vedic chants, Nabin held a meeting at a hotel with local MLAs, including Mishra, Majhwan MLA Suchismita Maurya and Madihan MLA Ramashankar Patel.
Patel said Nabin emphasised strengthening the organisation and asked public representatives to focus on serving people in their respective constituencies.
Several party leaders, including district president Lal Bahadur Saroj, district vice-president Gaurav Umar, municipal chairperson Shyam Sundar Kesari, women workers and senior officials, were present on the occasion.
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place by the district administration for the visit, with multiple officers of circle officer rank deployed, officials said.
