Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday, 21 October, launched a sharp broadside against the Central government in Mumbai, endorsing Shiv Sena-UBT MP Sanjay Raut's prediction of a major political upheaval within the next two to five months and renewing his longstanding demand to replace Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with traditional ballot papers. The remarks, made to reporters, marked one of Thackeray's most expansive and direct attacks on the ruling dispensation in recent memory.

The EVM Debate: A Demand Since 2018

Thackeray said he has been advocating ballot-paper voting since 2018, arguing that voters deserve both transparency and what he described as the 'psychological satisfaction' of watching their vote physically drop into a box. He cited international precedent, noting that countries including France, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka use ballot papers.

'Since 2018, I have been continuously striving for voting to take place via ballot paper, and I even met with election commissioners to discuss this,' he said. 'You must get satisfaction from the vote you cast. You need the reassurance that your vote has actually gone into the ballot box; winning and losing are separate matters.'

On France specifically, he remarked: 'In France, voting machines were scrapped and they reverted to ballot papers. Looking at those photos brings back old memories. Even if counting takes four days, what does it matter? Who is in a hurry?'

Political Upheaval Prediction

Endorsing Raut's assessment, Thackeray went further, warning that 'something major and disruptive' would unfold in the country within the next two to five months — 'to the extent that there might not even be a Prime Minister for the nation.' He attributed this to what he characterised as a series of critical missteps by the Union government.

'The Central government will continue to make mistakes, and this cycle won't stop. I won't be surprised if the country ends up on the streets in the coming years,' he said. He also alluded to unspecified international controversies, stating that 'photographs alongside Epstein have surfaced, and many more things are going to come out.'

On Crime, Gangsters and Policing

Turning to law and order, Thackeray expressed concern over rising crime and targeted gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, currently lodged in Sabarmati jail in Gujarat. While expressing confidence in Mumbai and Maharashtra Police, he argued that criminals like Bishnoi should be 'pulled out of jail and beaten publicly' to restore deterrence — provided, he said, that law enforcement is given a free hand without political interference.

Democratic Freedoms and the NEET Protests

Thackeray also criticised what he called the censorship of documentaries on prominent figures and questioned the neutrality of autonomous institutions and the judiciary. He contended that 'true democracy thrives in nations like the US, whereas freedom of expression is heavily curtailed in India.'

On the NEET protests, he defended student demonstrators, saying: 'You cane-charged children who were protesting peacefully; those kids hadn't done anything. Has the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) forgotten its old days?' He argued that the agitations reflected deeper systemic frustrations — citing a drought declared in the state and foodgrain shortages — that the current administration would struggle to contain.

Thackeray also claimed that BJP's sweeping 2014 victory was driven by Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally rather than the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), adding that power ultimately rests with India's citizens. Whether his warnings of imminent political turbulence gain traction will likely depend on how the Central government handles the string of pressures — economic, civic, and political — building ahead of upcoming state and national cycles.