Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut raised concerns on Friday about the impartiality of the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly election, alleging that the process could be compromised if Rashmi Shukla remains in charge of the state police. Raut accused Shukla, who serves as the Director General of Police, of favouring the BJP.
Raut claimed that Shukla had actively collaborated with the BJP in 2019, when his party was forming a coalition government. “There are serious allegations against the state’s DGP, Rashmi Shukla. During the formation of our government, this DGP, who was reportedly working closely with the BJP, was tapping our phones and providing information to Devendra Fadnavis about our plans,” Raut said.
He further questioned the fairness of the election if Shukla continues to lead the police force. “Can we expect her to conduct a fair election? We’ve demanded that she not oversee the elections, but the Election Commission has responded, saying they lack the authority to transfer her. How is this possible when the DGP in Jharkhand was recently replaced? Maharashtra’s election appears to be under police influence,” he added.
Patole urges EC to address alleged bias
On Thursday, Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole also appealed to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, requesting that Shukla be removed from her role. In his letter, Patole accused Shukla of showing “clear bias” against opposition parties, including Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP(SP). He claimed that there has been a surge in political violence in Maharashtra over the past 20 days, with opposition leaders frequently targeted in these incidents.
Dated October 31, the letter reads, “Kindly refer to our previous letters dated 24th September 2024 and 4th October 2024 concerning the removal of Rashmi Shukla from the post of Director General of Police, Maharashtra. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) reiterated this request during a briefing with the Election Commission of India (ECI) on 27th September 2024.”
The letter continued, “This request has been repeatedly submitted through oral representations and press conferences. While the DGP of Jharkhand was removed immediately after the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) was enforced, DGP Maharashtra was exempted. Over the past 20 days, political violence against opposition parties has significantly escalated, with a notable deterioration in the law and order situation. She has shown a clear bias against the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP(SP), as evidenced by her previous record of illegal phone tapping of opposition leaders while serving as Commissioner of Police, Pune, and Commissioner of the State Intelligence Department (SID).”
Maharashtra elections
The Maharashtra Assembly elections are set for November 20, with vote counting across all 288 constituencies on November 23. In the previous 2019 election, the BJP won 105 seats, followed by the Shiv Sena with 56 and the Congress with 44. During the 2014 elections, the BJP captured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63 and the Congress 42.
