Bangladeshi Migrants Obtaining Documents Illegally In Maharashtra Is ‘Vote Jihad Part 2’: Fadnavis

Devendra Fadnavis said Bangladeshi migrants seeking birth certificates illegally in Maharashtra to obtain voting rights was "vote jihad part 2".

Mumbai:Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said Bangladeshi migrants seeking birth certificates illegally in the state to obtain voting rights was "vote jihad part 2". Fadnavis, during the November assembly poll campaign, had cited instances of a community voting en masse against the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections held earlier in 2024, and had termed this as "vote jihad".

Speaking at the state BJP's convention in Shirdi in Ahilyanagar, Fadnavis said, "Bangladeshi infiltrators are seeking birth certificates in Maharashtra as part of vote jihad part 2. Nearly 100 such cases have been reported in Amravati and Malegaon tehsil in Nashik. These people, many aged around 50 years, are obtaining documents illegally." Not a single infiltrator will be allowed to stay in Maharashtra, the CM asserted.

He said his government is committed to combating anarchist forces attempting to create caste-based and communal divisions and urged people to stay vigilant and ensure this resolve is strengthened. Reflecting on the BJP's stellar performance in the November assembly polls, he hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for guiding and instilling confidence among party workers after the setbacks faced in the Lok Sabha polls.

"In the last 30 years in Maharashtra, the BJP is the only party which crossed the 100-seat mark in three consecutive polls (2014, 2019 and 2024). PM Modi's leadership gave us confidence and BJP got 132 seats with strike rate of 89 per cent," he said.

Narrating an anecdote from the Mahabharata about who ensured the victory of the Pandavas over the Kauravas, Fadnavis said the party workers were "Keshav" and Modi was "Madhav", both names of Lord Krishna, in the stupendous victory of the BJP in the assembly polls. Cautioning against complacency after the assembly poll results, Fadnavis said workers must continue to put in concerted efforts for public welfare.

Pointing towards the local body polls expected to take place across the state in the next few months, he said, "We must remain ready and united. The PM's mantra of 'ek hain to safe hain' (unity ensures safety) must guide us," he told the gathering. Polls to several civic bodies, including in Mumbai, Thane and Nagpur, are pending since early 2022.

He said his government has lined up several schemes for the welfare of all segments of society, including ensuring 52 per cent of Maharashtra's electricity is generated from renewable sources by 2030.