Ruling MLC Joins Opposition in Calling for Maharashtra Poll Delay Over Voter Fraud

NCP MLC Satish Chavan from the ruling Mahayuti alliance on Saturday called for an immediate postponement of the upcoming local body elections, citing rampant duplication and manipulation in the voters' lists. Chavan, representing the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, revealed that a staggering 36,000 names appear twice in the electoral rolls for the Gangapur assembly segment alone, fueling fears of widespread fraud that could undermine the democratic process.

Speaking at a press conference in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Chavan lambasted the irregularities as deliberate sabotage, urging authorities to hold the polls in abeyance for three to four months to allow for comprehensive rectification. "This is not a mere oversight; it's a calculated effort to compromise the integrity of our elections," he declared, pointing fingers at booth-level officers (BLOs) for failing in their duties. He vowed to seek judicial intervention if the State Election Commission and Chief Electoral Officer do not act swiftly, emphasizing that time is running out with local body elections tentatively slated for the next two months or early 2026.

Chavan's allegations echo and amplify concerns raised by opposition leaders just days earlier. On Wednesday, a high-profile delegation—including Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray, NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil, and Congress veteran Balasaheb Thorat—met State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare and Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam. They presented evidence of "highly compromised and manipulated" voters' lists, including unauthorized additions, deletions of legitimate voters, and insertions of fictitious entries, which they claim could swing outcomes in key municipal corporations like Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur.

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Delving deeper into the Gangapur anomalies, Chavan highlighted egregious errors in the Ranjangaon Shenpunji area, where over 4,000 bogus entries have been flagged. "A single sarpanch's name appears in three different lists—a blatant violation," he asserted, adding that names of individuals deceased over 13 years ago remain inexplicably active. Residences are bizarrely recorded as "house number zero," and one voter is listed at the non-existent "alley number 123" in Gandhi Nagar. Furthermore, 776 voters share the address of a former sarpanch, raising suspicions of proxy voting schemes.

The district collector has assured an inquiry, but Chavan stressed that political party workers are being forced to shoulder the Election Commission's responsibilities, such as cross-verifying entries. This comes against the backdrop of Maharashtra's bitterly divided political landscape, where the NCP's internal schism—pitting Ajit Pawar's Mahayuti-aligned faction against Sharad Pawar's opposition NCP (SP)—has already sparked defections and legal battles ahead of the state assembly polls later this year.

Experts warn that unchecked discrepancies could erode public trust in the world's largest democracy, potentially leading to contested results and prolonged litigation. With urban local bodies controlling budgets exceeding ₹50,000 crore annually, the stakes are immense: from waste management to infrastructure, flawed elections risk stalling governance in India's most industrialized state.

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