MU defers senate elections for graduate constituency | Mumbai News – Times of India

MUMBAI: In a notification issued by the Mumbai University on Thursday night, the administration abruptly deferred the senate elections for the graduate constituency till further notice.
The notification was issued after BJP MLA and city president Ashish Shelar alleged around 750 bogus registrations in the voters’ list, following which the state government sought an inquiry into the matter.
The deferment has not gone down well with students’ organisations, especially Aaditya Thackeray-led Yuva Sena, which had won all 10 seats in the constituency in the last senate elections in 2017. Youth wings of NCP and MNS have also opposed suspension of the process, while ABVP welcomed the move for a thorough probe. MU’s senate elections are already delayed by a year.
In a statement, the university said that the department of higher education had asked the university to conduct an inquiry into the discrepancies in the revised voters’ list. While the department asked the university for a report on the same day (August 17), the university claimed that it would have not been possible to verify the discrepancies in view of the large number of voters in a day and sought more time. Accordingly, the department directed the university to decide on the postponement of the election process till a thorough examination is carried out.
Thackeray, in a conference, slammed CM Eknath Shinde and said that the Shinde-BJP regime is so scared of elections in Maharashtra that they have suddenly deferred the senate elections. “We are pretending to be a democracy, under an illegal regime with no mandate from the citizens. We know that the illegal CM is always scared, therefore he hopped over into the washing machine,” Aaditya said, asking five questions to the government and the university. “Was the Hon’ble Governor involved in this meeting or informed of the decision?… Cancelling elections for political purposes is a dangerous moment in our times. All in all, they (Shinde-BJP) know they have lost the mandate of the people for their illegal and corrupt regime…,” Aaditya said on twitter.
Shelar, on whose complaint the government acted, said that some of the voters’ names were registered thrice on the list. “…Those who fear defeat must not talk about defeats. Aaditya Thackeray has resorted to bogus voter registration, and he must instantly take it back. You have committed the crime of infiltrating bogus voters…,” said Shelar.
Amol Matele from NCP Students’ wing also said, “In times when there is growing public dissent against the central government; it appears that the government is scared of elections at any level.”