"Names of voters were missing...this is unconstitutional and murder of democracy": AIMIM leader Waris Pathan on BMC polls

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 15 (ANI): AIMIM National Spokesperson Waris Pathan on Thursday criticised the conduct of the ongoing Maharashtra civic body elections, alleging widespread chaos at polling booths and blaming both the state government and election authorities for what he termed a serious failure of the democratic process.

Pathan stated that he personally visited several polling stations across Mumbai and witnessed confusion and mismanagement. He further claimed that women, senior citizens and first-time voters were among the worst affected. 

"It is the failure of the Maharashtra Govt and the fault of the Election Commissioner, I visited every booth in Mumbai and there was utter chaos everywhere. Names of voters were missing...women and senior citizens were so troubled. They were being turned back. What did the EC even do? My daughter's name was also missing...These are first-time voters and were excited to vote," he told ANI.

Describing the situation as unconstitutional, Pathan alleged that it was "murder of democracy".

“This is unconstitutional and a murder of democracy. Will the elections be held like this?” he said.

Pathan’s remarks come amid similar allegations raised by opposition leaders during the day. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday raised concerns about the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Elections 2026, citing issues with voter lists, removable ink, and old EVM machines.

He alleged that the Election Commission is not doing enough to address these problems and accused the government of trying to manipulate the electoral process.

"There are many places from where complaints are coming in. Some people's names are missing from the voter list. For the first time, we are experiencing that the ink being applied can now be cleaned off. These people are creating all this mess, and that's why I said, what does the Election Commission or the Commissioner do? Old EVM machines have been installed," said Uddhav Thackeray.

Thackeray's comments come amid reports of EVM malfunctions, voter list confusion, and allegations of vote buying in various parts of Mumbai and other cities.

The opposition has demanded an investigation into these irregularities, while the State Election Commission has assured that it is taking steps to ensure a fair voting process.

He's also criticised the government's proposal for One Nation One Election, suggesting it's a plot to commit fraud and seize control of the country. Thackeray has demanded the suspension of the State Election Commissioner and urged citizens to protest against these alleged irregularities.

"There is so much greed in these people to gain power; I have never seen such a shameless government. We will protest now, all the people will protest... That's why they want One Nation One Election, so that they can commit fraud and irregularities across the entire nation at the same time, and seize control of the entire country... So, all of this is a blatant murder of democracy," added Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Polling for the civic body elections began at 7:30 am on Thursday across 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra until 5:30 pm. According to the Maharashtra State Election Commission, voter turnout stood at 29.22 per cent till 1:30 pm, following a sluggish start earlier in the day.

The elections are being held after an intense campaign and are considered crucial for major urban centres, including Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Nashik, and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Vote counting is scheduled for Friday, January 16. (ANI)