Former Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray met AAP’s National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday and slammed the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the electoral process, which he said is neither free nor fair.

He was accompanied by senior party members, Sanjay Raut, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Arvind Sawant, and Sanjay Dina Patil.

Advertisement

“It is clear in the heart of the Shiv Sena (UBT) that governments come and go, but our relationship will continue as it is. That is what we came here to convey. The work that Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP have done for Delhi over the past 10 years is well known to the people of Delhi,” he said.

Attacking the ECI, Thackeray alleged, “In this election, the Election Commission played a significant role. The BJP had the ‘blessings of the Election Commission’, and the BJP should be grateful for that.”

The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said he spoke to Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday and today he discussed with Arvind Kejriwal the next steps of the INDIA bloc parties as our elections are no longer free and fair. “We will continue to fight in the interest of the nation. We will continue to raise the voice of the people. If we have to take to the streets for the country’s welfare, we will do so,” he added.

Thackeray said that the AAP and Congress would conduct their own reviews of the Delhi elections, but the friendship within the Opposition bloc will remain intact.

Highlighting the alleged controversy issue being raised by opposition parties in Maharashtra, Thackeray claimed, “We are raising the issue of how Maharashtra’s voter’s count suddenly increased by 47 lakhs. Who cast the 76 lakh votes after the final deadline? Is there any video footage or token for this? The Election Commission is completely unwilling to discuss this. This pattern has been in elections across Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Delhi, and Maharashtra. This is proof that free and fair elections no longer exist in our country.”

After the meeting, AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, “It is commendable that, regardless of the election results, the foundation of our relationship remains strong. With this unity, we will move forward and work for the nation. Based on the public mandate and the irregularities in the elections, we are formulating our future strategy.”