Sanjay Raut Accuses Maharashtra Election Commission of Favoring BJP
In a recent press conference, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut accused the Maharashtra Election Commission of granting the BJP and its allies undue advantages during the election campaign. He highlighted concerns over the removal of millions of voters' names from electoral rolls in various states, suggesting that this could significantly influence the upcoming municipal elections. Raut's allegations raise questions about the integrity of the electoral process in Maharashtra, especially with voting scheduled for January 15. Read on to discover more about these serious claims and their implications for the elections.
Jan 14, 2026, 13:05 IST
Allegations Against the Maharashtra Election Commission
Sanjay Raut, a member of the Shiv Sena (UBT), claimed on Wednesday that the Maharashtra State Election Commission has granted the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, among other coalition parties, unrestricted permission to distribute funds while campaigning door-to-door. Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai, Raut asserted that despite the implementation of the model code of conduct on Tuesday and the official suspension of election campaigning, the commission allowed door-to-door campaigning to continue.
Raut stated that the election campaigning officially concluded yesterday. According to the rules, laws, and the model code of conduct, campaigning was supposed to end yesterday. However, the Maharashtra Election Commission unexpectedly announced that campaigning could continue even after the official end. He questioned the legitimacy of such a rule, suggesting it directly permits the BJP, Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar to openly distribute funds while campaigning.
He further alleged that a significant number of voters' names have been removed from the electoral rolls. Raut claimed that approximately 6 million names were deleted in Bihar, around 12.5 million in Uttar Pradesh, and about 5.4 million in West Bengal. He warned that such removals could significantly impact election outcomes. Raut emphasized, 'Look, around 6 million names have been removed from the voter list in Bihar. Similar actions have occurred in Maharashtra. In Uttar Pradesh, the process of removing about 1.25 crore names is underway. And what about West Bengal? 5.4 million names removed in a single state could alter election results.'
Accusing the BJP of not conducting fair elections, Raut remarked that the Hindu-Muslim narrative has failed in West Bengal, which has now shifted to a narrative of the Enforcement Directorate versus the Trinamool Congress. Elections are set to take place in 29 municipal corporations, including Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Voting is scheduled for January 15, with counting on January 16.