Uddhav Thackeray: EC should be elected, not appointed

Nagpur

Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday strongly opposed the ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE) proposal, emphasizing the need for transparency in the electoral process. He argued that the Election Commissioner (EC) should be elected, not appointed, before implementing ONOE. Thackeray stated, The EC should be elected through the election process, not appointed. If the EC is appointed and tasked with teaching the opposition election laws, it would be inappropriate. He further asserted that no such system should exist under an appointed Election Commissioner.

Thackeray also raised concerns over the government's refusal to allow mock polling in Markadwadi as a protest against EVMs, questioning why the government was afraid of it. He expressed that in a democracy, people have the right to know where their votes are going.

When asked about Chhagan Bhujbal’s exclusion from the state cabinet, Thackeray sympathized with him and others who had expected ministerial positions. He mentioned that the disgruntled leaders from the MahaYuti alliance were in touch with him and could learn from their experiences.

Commenting on the cabinet's two-and-a-half-year tenure agreement, Thackeray quipped, Will the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister posts rotate every two and a half years, as promised before? He questioned whether this arrangement was still in place.