Maharashtra Opposition Unites to Address Voter List Anomalies

A delegation of Maharashtra's Opposition leaders met Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam to address election irregularities. The group, including noted figures like Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray, demanded corrections in the voters' list and advocated for VVPAT use in upcoming local polls for transparency.

In a bid to address alleged irregularities in Maharashtra's electoral process, a delegation of Opposition leaders met with the state's Chief Electoral Officer, S. Chockalingam, on Tuesday. The delegation, featuring notable figures such as Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray, flagged anomalies in the voter list and pushed for rectification measures before the upcoming local body elections.

The political leaders underlined the need for transparency, advocating for the use of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) in the polls. Among the expressed concerns was the duplication of names on the voters' list and instances of unusually high numbers of voters registered at single residences.

While the discussions with the election officials were set to continue, Shiv Sena's Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde dismissed the gathering, labeling the alliance as a "Maha Confused Aghadi." Despite the rhetoric, the demand for a transparent and constitutionally compliant electoral process remained central to the Opposition's agenda.

(With inputs from agencies.)