Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday made a strong allegation that nearly 96 lakh fake voters have been added to Maharashtra’s voter list ahead of the upcoming state elections. Addressing a gathering of Mumbai Metropolitan Region office bearers, Thackeray claimed that around 8 to 10 lakh fake names were added in Mumbai alone, with similar irregularities detected in Thane, Pune, and Nashik.
He demanded that the Election Commission should not conduct elections in the state until the voter lists are verified and made transparent. Raj Thackeray described the situation as a conspiracy aimed at weakening local and regional parties by manipulating voter data.
He compared the issue to the historic struggle for a united Maharashtra, stating that the identity and political strength of Marathi people are at stake. “Once the land is lost, its existence ceases,” he said, emphasizing the cultural and political implications of the alleged voter fraud.
Throughout his address, Thackeray raised several key points and concerns regarding electoral integrity and governance in Maharashtra:
He accused the ruling party of orchestrating voter list manipulation to secure control across all levels of governance.
He urged the Election Commission to suspend elections until the lists are completely verified.
Thackeray played an old speech of Narendra Modi, then Gujarat Chief Minister, who had once accused the Election Commission of election rigging.
He criticized the Commission for barring voter list updates after July 25, denying many young citizens their voting rights.
He appealed to all political parties, not just MNS, to conduct door-to-door voter verification.
He alleged that ruling party MLAs had publicly admitted to voter list tampering.
He claimed that election results in Maharashtra reflected manipulation rather than genuine public will.
He demanded a return to ballot paper voting for transparent and fair elections.
He warned that powerful industrialists are allegedly being handed control over Maharashtra’s resources and infrastructure.
Thackeray stated that projects like Sea Link and Atal Setu serve industrial interests rather than the common people.
Following Rahul Gandhi's "vote chori" claims, opposition parties in Maharashtra have raised issues regarding voter list irregularities, especially in Mumbai, Palghar, and Thane. The Election Commission of India (ECI) and courts, however, dismissed these allegations as baseless. In August 2025, Nalasopara reported a voter’s name appearing six times on electoral rolls, attributed to multiple registration attempts.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray claimed in October 2025 that 8 to 10 lakh fake voters were added in Thane and Mumbai. The Bombay High Court and Supreme Court rejected claims of voting irregularities during the 2024 elections, while the ECI stated allegations often stem from political motives.
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