Mumbai, Sep 23: In a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), Shiv Sena-UBT Chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday demanded the immediate arrest of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Thackeray accused CEC Kumar of acting as the “kingpin of a gang” destroying democracy and engineering splits in political parties at the behest of the Central government.

He also demanded the scrapping of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal Assembly elections and holding fresh polls.

Thackeray’s sharp reaction came following a media report which revealed a major internal rift within the three-member election panel.

According to the report, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi submitted a formal complaint to the Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan, alleging that CEC Gyanesh Kumar had been taking unilateral decisions regarding Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) without consulting them or heeding their dissent.

“The internal whistleblowing by Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu has exposed how arbitrary this administration was,” Thackeray said, commending the Election Commissioners for showing courage.

“The media and the public must break free from fear. When democracy is being openly murdered by a gang of political dacoits, the citizens and the press must stand up to safeguard the Constitution.”

Reacting to the revelations, the former Maharashtra Chief Minister said that the news confirmed what the Opposition had been alleging for years regarding the central agency’s arbitrary functioning.

“Today, the unmasked face of Gyanesh Kumar stands exposed before the nation. He is the principal mastermind of the gang that breaks political parties, steals party names, and murders democracy. He must be thrown into prison immediately,” Thackeray asserted.

Taking a jibe at the internal division within the Election Commission of India, the former Maharashtra Chief Minister added, “With two out of three Commissioners revolting against his (Gyanesh Kumar’s) arbitrary style, the majority is now against the Chief Election Commissioner. In essence, Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi have ousted Gyanesh Kumar from the commission. I congratulate them for showing the courage to stand up.”

Questioning the integrity of recent electoral processes, Thackeray alleged widespread voter list manipulation in the state.

He claimed that more than 45 lakh names were arbitrarily inserted into the voter list during the Maharashtra Assembly elections, only for 40 lakh names to be questioned or flagged for removal during the subsequent SIR process.

Thackeray alleged that the ECI’s first targeted blow was struck against his party by freezing its original name and symbol during a key bye-election, before illegally handing them over to the rebel faction.

He noted that identical tactics were subsequently used against Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and are now being applied against the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal.

“Even the name of BJP veteran L.K. Advani went missing from the voter list. Is this how they treat the man responsible for bringing them to power?” Thackeray asked.

Demanding decisive accountability, the Shiv Sena-UBT Chief urged that all elections overseen by the current leadership—including the Maharashtra Assembly elections—be declared null and void.

He called for fresh polls conducted strictly via physical ballot paper rather than EVMs.

Raising questions about the political influence behind the Election Commission’s functioning, Thackeray demanded an independent probe into whether the poll agency was taking direct orders from the Union Home Ministry.

“If the ECI is operating on instructions from the Home Ministry, the nation has a right to know if the Union Home Minister (Amit Shah) himself is directing these operations,” he said.

He warned that if democratic institutions continue to be compromised, citizens will be forced to take to the streets in protest.

Calling on the entire Opposition unitedly to step up, Thackeray also urged any “patriotic members within the Bharatiya Janata Party” to join the demand for a return to paper ballots to safeguard Indian democracy.

Latur, Sep 23: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the Maharashtra government will issue a Government Resolution (GR) on the drought situation within the next two days and declare blanket aid for farmers.

Speaking to reporters after visiting Kharosa village in Latur district, the Chief Minister clarified that crop damage assessments (panchnamas) are being conducted solely because they are legally mandated.

“The government has no intention of getting farmers entangled in administrative delays. The financial aid will be extended universally,” he assured, adding that the state stands firmly behind farmers by considering damage to both Kharif and Rabi seasons.

Describing the condition of crops in Latur district as critical, CM Fadnavis noted that current rainfall has dropped to 50 per cent, compared to 63 per cent during previous drought years. Urging citizens to remain resilient, he assured that the state government would fully manage drinking water supplies and livestock fodder.

“We will need to support one another over the next three to four months, and the state government is fully standing by you,” the Chief Minister stated.

He further assured that the state government would clear pending bills for water supply schemes to ensure every village receives drinking water.

During the visit, MLA Abhimanyu Pawar submitted a memorandum requesting assistance for local issues, while farmers carrying dried-up soybean plants met the Chief Minister to highlight the dire situation.

Acknowledging that the present conditions are even more severe than the historic 1972 drought, CM Fadnavis reaffirmed that the official order for drought declaration would be released within two days.

Following the inspection of two villages in Latur, the Chief Minister is scheduled to interact with farmers in Karajkheda and Yermala in Dharashiv district. Discussions during these visits will focus on structuring relief measures.

Meanwhile, the state administration has decided to set up dedicated ‘War Rooms’ at the district level to streamline drought management action. Accompanied by the Guardian Minister during the tour, CM Fadnavis was briefed on the sharp decline in agricultural output.

Reiterating his commitment, he emphasised that the severity of the situation demands immediate action without letting procedural formalities delay relief.

He further stated that the government has taken the drought situation very seriously.

The CM also assured that the government stands firmly behind the farmers. Appropriate action is underway at the government level regarding the necessary measures to be taken in light of the drought.

Furthermore, reports regarding the drought situation have been received by the government. The current situation is extremely critical. The government is providing necessary assistance to farmers, alongside extending benefits under the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farmer Loan Waiver Scheme, said the CM.

He added that sufficient funds will be made available for this purpose.

CM Fadnavis further mentioned that detailed micro-planning has been carried out for essential requirements during the drought, such as drinking water and livestock fodder.

Mumbai, Sep 23: As a report of ‘dissent’ within the Election Commission of India (ECI) surfaced, Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said that it exposed the “illegal work” done by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar in the electoral process.

He claimed that the Opposition tried to raise these concerns several times; however, “no one was ready to listen”.

The controversy emanated from a leading daily publishing an investigative report, claiming that on 14 occasions over a period of 10 months, two Election Commissioners had objected “on record” to steps taken by the Commission.

According to the report, the objections related to a range of decisions and processes, including allegations that the commissioners were kept in the dark about certain matters as well as issues concerning the addition of new voters and deletion of names from electoral rolls.

Speaking to media, Raut said, “This is a big revelation. We have been repeatedly saying these things on public platforms. Now, this has been exposed. Two members of the Election Commission — Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi — have done the biggest work to save democracy. Gyanesh Kumar is doing illegal work within the Election Commission and outside as well.”

“How these people, how Amit Shah won the elections in West Bengal and Bihar, has now come to light. They won with the help of Gyanesh Kumar’s criminal activities. The changes made in Form 6 regarding SIR are illegal; this is what the two Election Commissioners are saying. But objections were raised, complaints were made, yet no one is ready to listen,” he said.

Hitting back at Raut, BJP MLA Ram Kadam said that the Opposition has the right to ask questions; however, it is essential to understand that the Election Commission is a constitutional institution and the SIR process is transparent before commenting on the same.

“The Election Commission is a constitutional institution. We have to understand the importance of SIR. Similar names are mentioned 10 times in the list; fake names should be removed, and genuine voter names shall be included,” Kadam said.

“This is what the SIR is about. The Opposition wants to play blame games on this simple matter. Should a person who is declared dead be included in the voter list? Why should it be so?” he asked.

Calling it a “very transparent” process, the BJP MLA said, “If a person is listed multiple times, then they should be removed. Politics is about criticism and blaming the other person; that’s natural. But removing the counterfeit names cannot be a political issue. Anyone who calls it a political issue has the wrong intention. Should bogus voting continue?”

“Does Sanjay Raut want the bogus voters to continue to remain in the voter list? What would Sanjay Raut support? The names that have come up more than once should remain, or should they be removed?” he asked.

Kadam asserted that people who are against removing the fake names do not have clear intentions. “Every person can vote once, isn’t that the rule? Then why do they want the fake names to remain? Can Sanjay Raut answer that?” Kadam added.

The ECI, however, rejected the daily’s report and said that every officer in the institution is “fully authorised” to offer suggestions for improving the electoral system, while underlining that several “unanimous decisions” have been taken by the poll body in recent months.

The Commission said that differing views, observations, and suggestions are a normal part of deliberations within any institution and pointed out that the decision-making process involves not only the three Election Commissioners but also officials across the organisation.

The poll panel said it has introduced around 40 new initiatives and undertaken several electoral reforms, including electoral roll revision, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), across the country, with the agreement of all authorised officers.