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AIMIM leader Waris Pathan alleged that his daughter’s and wife’s names had been deleted from the voter list, as voting concluded on Thursday evening for the Maharashtra civic polls across 29 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). He labelled it as the failure of Maharashtra government and the fault of the Election Commissioner. “This is the murder of democracy,” he said, questioning what the Election Commission was doing and whether elections would be conducted in this manner. 

He noted that after 2017, municipal elections were being held in Mumbai again after eight years, yet young voters are being sent home empty-handed.

‘Unconstitutional, Murder of Democracy’ - Waris Pathan

Waris Pathan said, “This is a failure of the entire Maharashtra government and a failure of the Election Commission. I am visiting booth after booth and there is chaos everywhere.”

He added, “Names of voters were missing...women and senior citizens were so troubled. They were being turned back,” before asking, “What did the EC even do? My daughter's name was also missing...These are first-time voters and were excited to vote...This is unconstitutional and murder of democracy...Will the elections be held like this?”

#WATCH | Maharashtra: On civic body elections, AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan says, "It is the failure of the Maharashtra Govt and the fault of the Election Commissioner, I visited every booth in Mumbai and there was utter chaos everywhere. Names of voters were… pic.twitter.com/xjh2BkxfTH

— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2026

I Did Cast My Vote – Waris Pathan

The AIMIM leader said that these issues also lead to lower voter turnout. He said, “I believe the Election Commission must answer where the mistake occurred. People were denied their constitutional right to vote. I did cast my vote, but many people had to return home without voting.”

He added that voters are being told to go to new booths, but when they go there, they are sent back to the old booths- and at both places, their names are missing. “In front of me, an educated man left without voting,” he said. 

Responding to allegations by Uddhav Thackeray that the ink applied to voters’ fingers is fading, Pathan said, “If the opposition is raising such allegations, it should be taken seriously.”