The Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra has intensified its 'vote jihad' campaign to counter opposition claims of electoral fraud ahead of local body elections. After winning only nine of 48 Lok Sabha seats in 2024, compared to 23 in 2019, BJP leaders acknowledge they underestimated the opposition's narrative last year. Cabinet minister Ashish Shelar alleges approximately 10.6 lakh duplicate Muslim votes exist across 288 Assembly constituencies, citing specific areas like Karjat-Jamkhed, Mumbra, and Dharavi. The party plans to deploy workers at the taluka level statewide. This move responds to the opposition's Satyacha Morcha rally, where Congress and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena alleged a nexus between the State Election Commission and BJP to manipulate local polls. State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare announced measures to verify voter identities. The first phase of local body elections is scheduled for December 2, covering 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats.
BJP's Response and Opposition Allegations
BJP state chief Ravindra Chavan stated the party is countering opposition narratives in a language they understand. BJP media cell in-charge Navanth Ban emphasized the party's development-driven politics while pointing out what he called discriminatory Muslim appeasement by opponents. Congress state chief Harshvardhan Sapkal accused BJP of thriving on creating hatred, while Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar called the RSS and BJP anti-Muslim and anti-Dalit. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier blamed 'vote jihad' for BJP's poor 2024 Lok Sabha performance, claiming a particular community united against Hindus in at least 14 constituencies, including Dhule where Muslims allegedly ensured complete turnout in Malegaon despite BJP leading in five Assembly segments.
Source: Link