Opposition gatherings with poll authorities are aimed at creating a perception of unfair elections, claims Fadnavis.

by Webdesk
16 Oct 2025

Pune: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday expressed his astonishment at what he described as the extreme confusion among opposition leaders, in reference to their meetings with state election officials over the past two days. Fadnavis accused the opposition of attempting to create a perception of unfair civic elections, aware that they are likely to face defeat in the upcoming polls for municipal bodies in the state.

Following a meeting with Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam on Tuesday, the opposition delegation, which included Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, former NCP (SP) chief Jayant Patil, and Congress veteran Balasaheb Thorat, met Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare in Mumbai on Wednesday. Raj Thackeray, chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), also accompanied the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) delegation. Notably, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, who had joined Tuesday’s meeting with Chockalingam, chose not to attend Wednesday’s interaction with Waghmare.

“They are all senior politicians, yet I was taken aback by their lack of clarity regarding the correct authority to address the issues they were raising,” Fadnavis told reporters in Solapur. “On Tuesday, they met Chockalingam only to realize that he had no role in conducting civic elections, as there is a statutory election commission entrusted with that responsibility. Realizing this, they went to meet Waghmare today, but even then, they appeared unsure about the demands they should be presenting.”

Fadnavis pointed out that Sharad Pawar was the only opposition leader who recognized that these meetings were unlikely to yield any concrete results, which is why he did not accompany the other opposition members on Wednesday.

Following the assembly election results, the opposition has been leveling allegations of “vote theft” against the state government. They have also urged the State Election Commission to postpone the civic elections until all issues related to the voter list are addressed.

Reacting to these claims, Fadnavis said, “Ideally, the opposition should have accepted their defeat in the assembly elections and focused on preparing for the civic elections. Instead, aware that they face another likely defeat, they are now attempting to create the impression of unfair polls.”

He added that the opposition had even invited members of the ruling Mahayuti alliance to join their delegation. “We, too, support free and fair elections. We also back the demand to correct the voter list. Issues such as duplicate entries have existed for the past two decades, and I have consistently raised this concern,” the Chief Minister said.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also targeted the opposition alliance, claiming that it had already accepted defeat and was now seeking reasons to allege irregularities. “During the Lok Sabha elections, when the opposition won more seats than us, it raised no objections regarding the Election Commission or the EVMs. All complaints only started after the assembly election results. They are now questioning the EVMs, which were actually introduced by Congress, not us,” Shinde said, speaking to the media in Satara.

Fadnavis further emphasized that the opposition’s repeated engagements with election officials over consecutive days illustrate a lack of understanding of the electoral process and the role of statutory authorities. “Instead of focusing on strengthening their cadre or preparing for civic polls, they are trying to engineer a narrative that the elections are being conducted unfairly,” the Chief Minister said.

He reiterated that the government remains committed to ensuring free and fair elections across all civic bodies, including municipal corporations and councils. “The voter list is open for scrutiny and has been regularly updated. Any genuine concerns can and will be addressed transparently. However, attempts to manipulate public perception for political gain will not succeed,” Fadnavis added.

Shinde echoed these sentiments, urging opposition leaders to stop politicizing the election machinery. “The State Election Commission is independent. There is no bias. Raising doubts now, after results went against them in the assembly elections, is purely a political exercise to influence public perception,” the Deputy CM said.

As Maharashtra prepares for the upcoming civic polls, both Fadnavis and Shinde stressed that the government and election authorities are fully prepared to conduct elections in a transparent and impartial manner, countering any attempts by opposition parties to cast doubt on the electoral process.

Image Courtesy:

02 Jan 2026

BMC Elections

Opposition gatherings with poll authorities are aimed at creating a perception of unfair elections, claims Fadnavis.

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