Uddhav Thackeray slams BJP, says 'Democracy in our country is over'

Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray said he was unwilling to accept the defeat in Maharashtra Lok Sabha bypoll on Thursday. While addressing a press conference after losing Palghar and Bhandara-Gondiya by-elections, Thackeray said democracy in our country was over.

At the outset, Uddhav Thackeray congratulated the BJP for winning Palghar. On BJP's loss in two other Lok Sabha seats, Thackeray said, "This shows this party does not seem to be in majority anymore."

On the defeat in Palghar, he said, "I am not willing to accept the defeat. 6 lakh people rejected BJP in Palghar today. This is defeat by a slight margin."

He asked, "How the number of voting percentage was changed by Election Commission after the seat was already declared won. About 1 lakh votes were increased. We want to know where this number came from?"

He raised objection over transparency in the functioning of the Election Commission in the elections. "Election Commission has no control over the elections. It is time for all political parties to come together and complain against the EC to court," Thackeray said.

He further said that seeing the corruption in Election Commission, he would suggest that even election commissioners should not be appointed, but elected.

About his party's alliance with the BJP, he said, "BJP does not need its friends and allies anymore."

"CM Yogi Adityanath had come here to campaign for BJP, but even that did not work. We will also never forgive the UP CM for insulting Shivaji Maharaj," he added.