BMC polls: Sanjay Raut announces joint 'squad' of Sena (UBT)-MNS; 'bogus voters' on target

NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said his party has formed a joint “squad” with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), issuing a threat to those he described as “dual” and “bogus” voters ahead of the polling day for the Maharashtra civic elections.

“We (Shiv Sena-UBT and MNS) have formed a squad, which will be in action from 7 am. Once the squad receives information about dual voters region-wise, the joint team would handle them appropriately,” Raut told reporters in Mumbai.




When asked about legal consequences for potential violence, he argued that “thrashing those who do not fit in the law does not amount to creating a law and order situation.” He added, “Does bogus voting fit in the definition of law and order?”

Raut’s remarks follow similar statements made by MNS president Raj Thackeray while campaigning for municipal elections in Mumbai and other cities.

The Shiv Sena (UBT), headed by former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, and the MNS have joined forces for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections and other civic bodies in the state. Elections for the BMC and 28 other municipal corporations are scheduled for Thursday. Mumbai’s municipal authority is the richest in India and among the wealthiest in Asia.

The alliance marks a reunion of the Thackeray cousins. Raj had split in 2005 and formed the MNS the following year. The undivided Shiv Sena, which split 2022 into the factions headed by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde, had led the BMC since 1997.

(With PTI inputs)
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