Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Monday alleged that there was a "deliberate" delay in many voting booths across Mumbai to discourage voters from voting. Many people, who had to wait in long queues in extreme heat, left the polling centres and returned to their homes as a result.
Even as the voting was going on, he appealed to citizens not to desert the queues, but stay back and cast their votes. "Election officers will have to allow you to cast your vote till tomorrow morning if you stand in the queue before 6 pm," he stated at an impromptu press meet.
Thackeray said that he received information about "deliberate" delays from different constituencies of Mumbai. He alleged that it was a deliberate ploy on the part of the Modi government to discourage people from voting. The BJP, however, dismissed the charge and said the allegation was a sign of Thackeray's fear of losing.
Thackeray said "The Election Commission has been sending messages (through the social media) and over telephones appealing to people to vote. People are willing to vote. But, why the delay in voting in several areas? Why people are going back to home after seeing long queues?. The EC is working like the BJP's servant." He appealed to people to lodge their complaints at the nearest "shakha" of his party.
Thackeray said the delay was deliberately introduced when the government realised that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was bagging lot of votes. It was a tactic to deprive MVA candidates votes of their supporters. He asked people to report the names of the polling officers (responsible for the delay) so that their names can be declared at a press conference on Tuesday. He hinted that his party may move the high court, in this regard.
Thackeray alleged that Modi is scared of losing the election and hence it was indulging in its "favourite game" of removing names of voters from the list. In many places of bogus voting have been done, he alleged. He accused the EC of bias. He said senior citizens were not provided facilities and the names of voters were checked four to five times with a view of delay the process.
However, deputy CM and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadanvis said there was some delay in the voting process and his party had drawn the attention of the EC to this. But it was not as serious as claimed by Thackeray. He said "Uddhav Thackeray was crying as usual. He was making wild allegations because he knew that his defeat was certain." He also appealed to people to stand in queue before 6 p.m. and exercise their franchise.
