"Voters faced inconvenience, ECI is biased...": Uddhav Thackeray
May 20, 2024
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 20 : After Maharashtra reported a sluggish voter turnout in the fifth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday claimed that voters in the state were deliberately harassed at polling booths, adding that the Bharatiya Janata Party used the Election Commission of India to ensure that the state could not record a higher voter turnout.
Addressing a press conference, Uddhav Thackeray said, "Administration is the reason why voting is down. Wherever we had leads, the machines were not properly arranged. Machines were shut down. This is a play of the Modi government. They are in fear of defeat. People are excited. They are being deliberately harassed. This is a game played by the Election Commission. Where our percentage is going to be higher, the turnout is decreasing. The Election Commission is biased."
Uddhav Thackeray further alleged that the identity cards of people in certain communities were specifically being asked at certain polling stations.
"Modi government is using the Election Commission as a doormat for fear of defeat," Sena UBT chief said while adding that "people were going back from the voting centre".
According to the Election Commission of India, Maharashtra recorded an approximate 53.63 per cent voter turnout.
Constituencies such as Mumbai South, Thane, Mumbai North Central, and Kalyan could not cross the 50 per cent voter turnout figure till 7 pm as per the latest ECI data.
The fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections for 49 parliamentary constituencies saw a cumulative voter turnout of 56.68 per cent till 5 pm, as per the data shared by the Election Commission.
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections, being held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1, have seen key contests across states. The final results are scheduled to be announced on June 4.
