Mumbai: In the Sewree Assembly constituency, the Mahayuti refrained from fielding a candidate against the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). In return, a fake letter falsely claiming that the MNS would support the bow-and-arrow symbol of the Shinde faction's candidate in the Worli Assembly constituency was circulated.

This forged letter bore the fake signature of MNS chief Raj Thackeray. Following this, MNS worker Akrur Patkar filed a complaint at the Agripada Police Station. Based on this complaint, further action is being taken. The FIR has been registered against Shiv Sena (Shinde Faction ) worker Rajesh Kusale under sections 336(2), 336(4), 353(2), and 171(1) of BNS. The police are investigating the matter further.

About The Letter

In the Sewree constituency, the Mahayuti honored the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) by not fielding a candidate against them. As a gesture of responsibility, MNS decided to support the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) in the Worli constituency by endorsing the bow-and-arrow symbol to prevent the division of Hindu votes.

A letter with such claims, written on the MNS letterhead, was circulated online. The letter falsely carried the forged signature of MNS president Raj Thackeray. Following a complaint lodged by MNS worker Akrur Patkar, the Agripada Police Station registered a case against Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) worker Rajesh Kusale.

According to MNS worker Akrur Patkar's statement to the police, on November 20, the day of the Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 voting, Patkar was at Dhobi Ghat with MNS candidate for the Worli Assembly constituency, Sandeep Deshpande. Around 8 AM, Patkar received a photo of a letter on his phone from Rajesh Kusale.

The letter, without any date, claimed that since the Mahayuti honored the MNS by not fielding a candidate in the Sewree constituency, the MNS had decided to support the bow-and-arrow symbol of the Shinde faction’s candidate in Worli to prevent the division of Hindu votes. The letter was written on MNS letterhead and bore the forged signature of MNS chief Raj Thackeray.

To verify the authenticity of the letter, Sandeep Deshpande contacted Raj Thackeray, who confirmed that no such letter existed. Additionally, Kusale also sent a video to Patkar, asking him to keep it confidential. The video reiterated the claim of MNS's support for the bow-and-arrow symbol in Worli.

Considering this as an act of spreading false information and misleading voters, Ankur Patkar filed a complaint against Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) karyakrta and ex Shakhapramukh Rajesh Kusale. Based on the complaint, an FIR has been registered at the Agripada Police Station, and further investigation is underway.