BJP minister Ashish Shelar on Monday accused the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and Raj Thackeray-led MNS of selectively targeting Hindu and Dalit voters over the issue of duplicate names on the electoral roll.
Speaking at a press conference, Shelar alleged that the opposition was deliberately focusing only on Hindu and Marathi voters while ignoring duplicate names among minority communities. He termed this selective targeting “vote jihad”.
“The MVA claimed victory in the Lok Sabha elections. They said they got 2.5 crore votes, and we got 2.48 crore, a difference of just 2 lakh votes. We checked the list of 31 constituencies from the same election and found 2.25 lakh duplicate minority Muslim voters in those seats. Should we then ask if you were involved in vote theft?”said Shelar. He questioned both the MVA and Raj Thackeray directly, asking, “If these duplicate names did not exist, what would your election result have been?”
Highlighting specific constituencies, Shelar added, “In the constituency where Rohit Pawar won, there are 5,000 duplicate Muslim voters. Nana Patole won from Sakoli by 208 votes, and that same constituency has over 400 duplicate Muslim voters. Will you now demand his resignation?”
Shelar sought to clarify BJP’s stance, saying, “We do not aim to divide voters. But we are responding to those who are trying to do so. Do not misinterpret this. We are simply presenting what we have found. After the Maharashtra Assembly election setback, from Delhi to the local level, many leaders started making claims. This is our reply to them.”
He further accused the opposition of double standards: “If there are duplicate Hindu or Dalit voters, you raise it, but if duplicate Muslim voters are found, you celebrate with fireworks. Raj Thackeray mentioned certain constituencies, but the only surnames he pointed out were Bhoir, Patil, and similar Marathi names. Did Raj Thackeray see only Marathi people as duplicate voters? Did he notice only Hindu names in the duplicate list? You use harsh language only for Marathi, Dalit and Hindu voters. Uddhav Thackeray’s stand now appears to be against the sons of the soil.”
Shelar cited additional examples, saying, “In Dhule, we lost the Lok Sabha seat by 3,000 votes. Beed had 67,000 duplicate voters, yet Pankaja Munde lost by 6,000 votes. Varsha Gaikwad won by 16,000 votes, but that constituency has 39,000 duplicate voters. Will she resign?”
He concluded by criticising the Opposition’s selective approach, stating, “You highlight only Hindu and Dalit names as duplicates. There are duplicate voters in Bandra East as well, why the special treatment when they are Muslim? Will you perform aarti for them?”
