Opposition attempting to set narrative ahead of polls to local bodies: Fadnavis

Solapur, Oct 15 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the meetings between the Opposition and top election officials to question the alleged discrepancies in voters' lists were an attempt to create a narrative ahead of the local body polls, and termed the interactions a fiasco.

He said the Opposition, instead of accepting the electoral defeat and going back to the people, is casting aspersions on democratic institutions and the Constitution.

The chief minister was reacting to the meeting between Opposition leaders and State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S. Chockalingam in Mumbai on the second consecutive day, and allegations of "highly compromised and faulty" voters' lists.

The opposition leaders also demanded that the lists riddled with discrepancies should not be used in the upcoming local body polls.

Fadnavis pointed out that elections to local bodies are conducted by the State Election Commission based on the electoral rolls provided by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).

"If evidence is submitted, additions and deletions are made in the lists", he told reporters in Solapur.

Fadnavis stated that the meetings in the last two days were an attempt to create a narrative.

"These meetings ended in a fiasco as the opposition leaders didn't know which questions to ask and to whom", he added.

He said the ruling parties too want elections to be held in a free and fair manner and support the demand for proper voters' lists.

"Are duplicate names a recent phenomenon? We have been complaining. When you were in power, duplicate names (of voters) existed", the chief minister said, reacting to the Opposition's claim that migrant electors settled in Maharashtra have registered themselves as voters in the state and also in their native places.

Taking a swipe at the Opposition unity, Fadnavis said NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar skipped the meeting on Wednesday as he knew that they (MVA leaders) were casting aspersions on institutions and the Constitution.

"Opposition's attempts notwithstanding, the Mahayuti alliance will win local body polls as the people are with us", he added. PTI MR NSK