‘Who will protect Marathi Manoos?’ asks Sena (UBT) after civic polls

The Shiv Sena UBT on Saturday said that the future of Maharashtrarsquos capital Mumbai and the identity of the Marathi Manoos stand at a critical juncture following what it termed as chaotic and controversial results of elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and 28 other civic bodies reported news agency IANSSaamana editorial alleges largescale irregularities in civic electionsIn a strongly worded editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana the Thackeray camp alleged largescale electoral irregularities including EVM manipulation voter bribery and bogus voting as counting stretched late into the night It posed a pointed question who will now protect the interests of the Marathi Manoos in MumbaiElectoral setbacks termed betrayal of Mumbairsquos legacyThe editorial said the electoral setbacks suffered by the Shiv Sena UBT and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS were not merely political losses but amounted to a betrayal of Mumbairsquos heritage Those responsible for weakening regional forces it claimed had effectively ldquotraded awayrdquo the legacy built on the sacrifices of the cityrsquos martyrsSamyukta Maharashtra martyrs invoked call for renewed struggleReferring to the 106 martyrs of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement the editorial said they would not merely mourn the present situation but would demand a renewed struggle to safeguard Mumbairsquos soul Despite ldquoextremely adverse circumstancesrdquo the Shiv Sena and MNS fought a close contest it said adding that the fight to protect Mumbai and Marathi identity is far from over reported IANSEditorial warns of corporate takeover bid backed by BJPThe central concern highlighted was the alleged attempt to hand over Mumbai to corporate interests with the support of the BJP Drawing a historical parallel the editorial warned that the ldquosaffron flag of Marathi priderdquo faces a challenge comparable to the Battle of PanipatClaims of corruption EVM misuse and premature celebrationsldquoThe eyes of the entire nation were on Mumbai Through massive corruption ink scams EVM manipulation money distribution and bogus or double voting a corporate force with the backing of the BJP has attempted to seize control of Mumbai Celebrations were started even before final results were declared which itself reflects electoral fraudrdquo the editorial alleged calling it a serious danger signal for Maharashtra and its people reported IANSRegional forcesrsquo resolve remains intact despite alleged misuse of powerIt further claimed that when power money and even constitutional institutions such as the Election Commission act as ldquoservantsrdquo any political wave can be manufactured However it asserted that the resolve of regional forces remains unshakenBalasaheb Thackerayrsquos legacy allegedly underminedThe editorial accused the ruling dispensation of diluting the ideological legacy of Balasaheb Thackeray and alleged that enormous financial resources were used to ldquostab the Marathi people in the backrdquo It maintained that the battle to prevent the ldquoencroachmentrdquo on Mumbairsquos culture would continue despite adverse odds reported IANSBJP wave lsquoengineeredrsquo across municipal corporations claims SaamanaAccording to Saamana a BJP wave was engineered across 26 municipal corporations enabling ldquoopportunistic political elementsrdquo including the Eknath Shindeled faction of the Shiv Sena to gain power The editorial claimed that the absence of ideology and principles among such groups could render future elections meaningless reported IANSElection Commission accused of inaction amid voter complaintsIt further alleged that hundreds of voters were deprived of their voting rights while the Election Commission remained inactive The editorial also accused polling officials of allegedly using ldquoBJP appsrdquo to assist voters and aid the ruling party at polling boothsWarning against turning elections into appointmentsldquoIf such complaints are ignored then instead of elections representatives should simply be appointed and sent to the corridors of powerrdquo it said reported IANSlsquoAntiMaharashtra agendarsquo allegation against BJP and Shinde factionThe editorial alleged that the BJP harbours an ldquoantiMaharashtra agendardquo aimed at installing an ldquoindustryfriendlyrdquo mayor in Mumbai which it said insults the Marathi identity It claimed this was attempted with the help of the Shinde faction calling it a betrayal that would be recorded in the darkest chapters of Maharashtrarsquos political historyFinal warning on Mumbairsquos future and Marathi identityldquoThe Mumbai won through the sacrifice of 106 martyrs is on the verge of being snatched away but we will not allow that to happenrdquo the editorial said adding that the ldquocorrupt arrogancerdquo of the BJP would eventually engulf Mumbai and later Vidarbha as well reported IANSAs the municipal election dust settles the editorial concluded by raising a fundamental question ldquoWill the identity of the Marathi Manoos surviverdquoWith inputs from IANS