Mumbai, Nov 3 (NationPress) The Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister and former Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar has made serious allegations against the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). He claims that they are intentionally overlooking Muslim duplicate voters while paying attention only to those who speak Hindi and Marathi.

Shelar pointed out that MNS chief Raj Thackeray seems to ignore the issue of Muslims with duplicate names in numerous constituencies. He expressed concern that Thackeray has succumbed to the so-called 'vote jihad', focusing solely on Hindi and Marathi-speaking duplicate voters on the lists.

According to Shelar, the BJP operates without bias towards any voter, while accusing the MVA and its new ally Thackeray of dividing voters based on caste, religion, and community.

"We will unveil their tactics," he pledged.

Shelar further alleged that during the Lok Sabha elections, the MVA executed a 'well-planned vote jihad', intentionally removing names of many honest voters.

To back his claims, he presented a list detailing eight categories of supposed Muslim duplicate voters across various constituencies, asserting a link to the victory margins of MVA legislators.

Questioning the legitimacy of MVA's legislative victories, Shelar asked, “Should we conclude that victories of several legislators were due to these Muslim duplicate voters?”

He reaffirmed the BJP's commitment to 'justice for all, appeasement for none.'

Shelar also criticized the opposition for misleading the public with 'utter lies' during the MVA's Satyacha March held on Saturday in Mumbai.

He remarked, "After the Assembly elections, the opposition faced a significant defeat. Everyone, from Pappu in Delhi to Pappu on the street, is fabricating a false narrative of vote theft. As local body elections approach, they are attempting to mislead the public again with misinformation," Shelar alleged.

He stated, "The genuine scam perpetrated by the MVA is being obscured by their false narrative of vote theft. We are not representing the Election Commission; we are merely presenting facts that are clear to the public," he explained.

In response, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray firmly dismissed the BJP's accusations of 'vote jihad', asserting that his party, along with other MVA constituents and the MNS, has always advocated for a thorough cleanup of electoral rolls prior to local and civic elections.

"The Election Commission must correct all inaccuracies, including duplicate and fake entries in the voter lists. Neither the Shiv Sena (UBT) nor any other party has labeled any bogus voter by religion. We are not against elections; we insist they occur only after electoral rolls are sanitized," Thackeray stated in a press conference held shortly after the opposition's Satyacha March in Mumbai.

Thackeray also claimed that the Election Commission and the Centre are 'frightened of Gen Z voters', arguing that youths reaching voting age after July 1 would be unjustly deprived of their voting rights in the upcoming local and civic body elections.

"Young individuals turning 18 after July 1 should be entitled to participate in the upcoming polls," Thackeray concluded.