Thackerays indulging in appeasement, conspiring to pressure election staff: BJP minister Shelar

Mumbai, Nov 3 (PTI) Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar on Monday accused Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS head Raj Thackeray of engaging in appeasement politics and conspiring to pressure government staff ahead of the local body polls in the state.

The Opposition is attempting to create a "fake narrative," BJP leader Shelar further charged.

"They are trying to create pressure on the staff and influence the upcoming elections. This is our direct allegation," he told reporters here.

"The Thackerays and Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders are committing a sin -- from hating Biharis to targeting their own Marathi people. They can oppose us politically, but must not stoop so low. By pointing out multiple entries of Hindu voters, they are sowing the seeds of Hindu-Muslim division. Why did they stop short of naming voters from other communities? We want an answer," he said.

Reacting to Raj Thackeray's earlier remarks that certain voters from Kalyan Rural, Murbad and Bhiwandi (in neighbouring Thane district) had voted in both their constituencies and in (Mumbai's) Malabar Hill, Shelar claimed it is the height of appeasement.

"Why are only Marathi voters being targeted for duplication? Raj Thackeray seems to notice only duplicate Hindu and Marathi voters, while conveniently overlooking thousands of duplicate Muslim names in several constituencies. It seems even Raj Thackeray has now succumbed to the politics of 'vote jihad'," Shelar said.

Citing examples from Karjat-Jamkhed assembly constituency, represented by Opposition NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, Shelar said one Imran Kadar Bagwan has two entries in the voter list.

"The same goes for Tabassum Abdul Mulani. How come Raj Thackeray did not see these cases but only found out Patil and Bhoir? Why this selective outrage," he questioned while urging the Thackeray cousins to support the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision drive instead of targeting specific communities.

"Multiple entries of people from Muslim and other minority groups are ignored, but they only talk about Hindus, Dalits and Marathi people. The Thackeray brothers should introspect. The Thackerays and MVA have faced political downfall because of this appeasement politics," he said.

First they targeted Biharis and north Indians, then Hindi-speaking people, then Gujaratis and Jains, and now their attack is on Marathi speakers, Shelar said while claiming it was a reflection of "declining values and divisive intent." If they really wish to have error-free electoral rolls, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray as well as MVA leaders should support EC's special intensive review of voters' lists across the country, the BJP minister said.

"An analysis of 31 Assembly constituencies revealed 2,25,791 duplicate Muslim and Christian voters. If extrapolated across all 288 constituencies, this figure could reach 16,84,256. These figures exclude MVA supporters", Shelar added, questioning why MVA leaders never mention such data.

Meanwhile, NCP (SP) leader and Karjat Jamkhed MLA Rohit Pawar took a swipe at the ruling dispensation, alleging that those who raise their voice against injustice are immediately slapped with false cases.

"Whenever someone speaks the truth against injustice, the ruling side quickly files fake cases. A few days ago, when I demonstrated how a fake Aadhaar card could be created, even I was booked under false charges by the '40-paise' group," Pawar said in a post on X.

Drawing a parallel from mythology, Pawar added, "Just as Vibhishan revealed the secret behind Ravana's death, senior BJP leader Ashish Shelar has today shown great courage by exposing the flawed functioning of the Election Commission right in front of the '40-paise' blind followers." The Supreme Court has directed the Maharashtra State Election Commission to conduct the local body polls in the state by January 31, 2026.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) along with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on Saturday held a protest march against alleged irregularities in the voters list, which the Opposition has been claiming were helping the ruling BJP.

The Opposition accused the Election Commission of India of turning a blind eye to alleged voters list irregularities like multiple entries, wrongful deletions and additions etc. PTI ND GK BNM