Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 17 : A day after the Mahayuti alliance secured a majority in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday claimed he received numerous complaints from citizens regarding missing names from the voter list.
Addressing a press conference here, Thackeray said that the results were "surprising" at various locations.
"Where did those numbers come from? Was it from some party office? Before counting numbers were seen on TV. In future, there will be no EVM, and the direct results will be declared. I have received several complaints from voters that their names were missing from the voter list. At various locations, the results are surprising. I had doubts about the exit polls," he added," the UBT President said.
He described the BMC elections held on January 15 as a "strange" and desperate fight for his opponents.
He levelled serious accusations, claiming the ruling alliance used "every method possible," from distributing cash to the alleged kidnapping of candidates, to force withdrawals and secure a win.
Thackeray said, "This election was very strange. It felt like this was a life-and-death election for them. They opted for all methods, from cash to kidnapping our candidates; they forced candidates to withdraw their nominations."
However, he hailed the citizens of Mumbai who weren't scared despite attempts to intimidate and expressed deep gratitude to those who backed the Shiv Shakti Alliance, the first-time collaboration between his faction and his cousin Raj Thackeray's MNS.
The undivided Shiv Sena had controlled the BMC for the longest time before the party split into two factions in 2022.
The BMC elections saw the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance emerge as the single largest bloc, beating the Thackeray brothers. According to official figures, the BJP emerged as the largest party, winning 89 seats, while its alliance partner, the Shinde Sena, secured 29 seats.