Mumbai civic polls: Raj Thackeray casts vote, accuses SEC of bias

Mumbai: MNS president Raj Thackeray on Thursday cast his vote in the Mumbai civic polls and accused the State Election Commission of bias, claiming the entire administration was being misused by the government to secure victory in the polls.

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, his wife Anjali, daughter Sara and former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar voted in Mumbai.

Thackeray cast his vote in the Dadar area, accompanied by his family members, including his mother Kunda.

Later, speaking to reporters, he targeted the State Election Commission over the use of the Printing Auxiliary Display Unit (PADU) in the civic polls.

The SEC did not even bother to give any clarification on the use of PADU and extended the canvassing time to allow distribution of money (by ruling parties), the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief alleged.

He further claimed that the ink mark on the finger after casting a vote can be easily wiped off with sanitiser.

"They (the government) don't want the Opposition parties. The entire administration is being run by the government (to win the polls). This is not the sign of a healthy democracy. There is a limit to misuse of power," Thackeray said.

He asked his party workers to stay alert against any malpractices by rival parties in the polls.

Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray are fighting their toughest battle yet as they join forces in the BMC polls, aiming to control the country’s richest civic body.

The cousins have placed the cause of the "Marathi manoos" and Marathi pride at the centre of their campaign.