Remove 96 lakh bogus voters: Maharashtra opposition demands, warns of mega protest

In a significant escalation in political tensions in Maharashtra, opposition parties have announced a massive rally in Mumbai on November 1, demanding from the Election Commission the removal of nearly one crore "bogus voters" from the state’s electoral rolls, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said on Sunday. Opposition parties in the BJP-ruled state have been demanding transparency and concrete action on the fake voter base, ever since Congress leader Rahul Gandhi levelled the "vote choir" allegations against the ruling party and the poll panel.

The call came from SanjayRaut during a joint press conference at Sena Bhavan in Mumbai on Sunday. Attending the conference were leaders from the MaharashtraNavnirmanSena (MNS), the NationalistCongressParty(SP) and the Congress. Raut said the opposition intends to "give the Election Commission a jolt by hitting the streets" if the poll body does not act on their demands.

The catalyst for the rally is the claim by MNS president RajThackeray that around 96 lakh (9.6 million) fake voters were added to Maharashtra’s voter lists ahead of impending local-body elections.

Raut emphasised that even ruling-party MLAs such as MandaMhatre from the BJP and SanjayGaikwad from Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena have spoken about duplication of voters and irregularities.

The opposition frame is that this rally will reflect the strength of "lakhs of people whose voting rights may have been compromised".

The Uddhav Sena Rajya Sabha MP further said that SharadPawar, UddhavThackeray and Raj Thackeray will be leading the event, with invitations to senior Congress figures.

Raut said the opposition gave a representation on October 14 to the State Election Commissioner and the Chief Electoral Officer about voter-list discrepancies.

"We demand urgent removal of nearly one crore bogus voters by the poll body. Otherwise, the opposition will hold a protest on November 1. Rural and urban body elections must be completed in Maharashtra by January 31, 2026. The parties say the rolls must be cleaned before that," he said.

Meanwhile, the state election commission responded that “no political party can tamper with electoral rolls” and that updates and corrections are being handled securely.

Congress leader SachinSawant criticised the poll body’s handling of the matter, saying opposition voices are not being given a chance, warning that this is "detrimental to democracy".

MNS leader BalaNandgaonkar echoed the concern, saying the Election Commission has acknowledged the situation but insisted that public action is necessary.

NCP (SP) leader JayantPatil labelled the EC’s response “unsatisfactory” and said the opposition is open to including ruling-party members in the protest as a stand against democratic erosion.

‘VOTE-CHORI’ CLAIMS SPILT BEANS

The Maharashtra opposition’s demand has come amid broader claims of electoral malpractice across India.

Leader of Opposition RahulGandhi has repeatedly alleged "vote-chori" (vote-theft), charging that the ElectionCommissionofIndia (EC) is colluding with the BharatiyaJanataParty (BJP) to rig elections.

In August, he said that irregularities in states such as Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra pointed to “treason” in the electoral process.

Days later, MSN chief Raj Thackeray backed the Congress MP’s allegations and urged vigilance on fraudulent entries in voter lists.

In September, the Congress MP from UP’s Rae Bareilly presented a detailed presentation alleging mass deletion of voters through software, alleging a practice of "Waking up at 4 am, deleting two voters in 36 seconds, and going back to sleep". He pointed to the Åland constituency in Karnataka as a case study.

The Maharashtra rally thus taps into this larger national narrative of alleged electoral manipulation.

Opposition parties in Maharashtra assert the problem is local to their state: they point to inflated voter lists, duplication and fraudulent entries as undermining clean elections ahead of the body-polls.

- Ends

With PTI inputs