By: Express News ServiceNovember 3, 2025 09:51 PM IST 2 min readShelar, who holds the portfolio of Information & Technology and Cultural Affairs, targeted the MNS leaders on vote fraud. (file)MNS president Raj Thackeray has overlooked the vote fraud by Muslims while targeting the double-voting by Hindus and Marathis, BJP leader and Minister Ashish Shelar alleged on Monday. It shows Raj Thackeray is also reeling under vote jihad, he said.Addressing media persons at BJP headquarters in Mumbai, Shelar said, “Raj Thackeray has highlighted the double-voting by Hindus and Marathis. But he turned a blind eye to the double-voting by Muslims. It is evident that Raj Thackeray is suffering from vote jihad.”Shelar, who holds the portfolio of Information & Technology and Cultural Affairs, targeted the MNS leaders on vote fraud. The BJP minister’s attack against Raj Thackeray comes shortly after the opposition’s Satyacha Morcha–protest rally held in Mumbai on Saturday against the Election Commission on ‘vote chori’. Putting up a united front, Opposition parties including Shiv Sena (UBT), MNS, Congress, NCP (SP), PWP, Samajwadi Party, CPI (M) and CPI pledged to take their fight against EC and vote fraud to its logical end. Opposition leaders including Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray and Balasaheb Thorat demanded that the voters’ list should be cleaned to fix the manipulations in the electoral rolls which was done to help BJP in local bodies elections.After the 2019 Assembly polls, when Uddhav Thackeray broke alliance to join hands with Congress-NCP, BJP had termed him as their staunch political rival. BJP’s Central and state leaders strategically attacked Uddhav Thackeray to the extent of breaking his party into two–Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena (UBT) by Uddhav Thackeray. However, BJP leaders had maintained cordial relations with Raj Thackeray and MNS. Even after Raj Thackeray’s reunion with estranged cousin Uddhav, BJP exercised caution not to attack MNS. However, Raj Thackeray’s decision to take centre stage at opposition rally last week seems to have irked the right wing party. Through Shelar, the party trained guns on Raj Thackeray on double-voting.Shelar noted, “The BJP has never discriminated against voters. Now, we have a new buddy Raj Thackeray who along with Maha Vikas Aghadi is making discrimination among voters based on caste, creed and religion. We will expose them.”Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:thackeray