At the same time, Thackeray exhorted the people to vote for a stable government under the able prime ministership of AB Vajpayee. Thackeray also appealed to the people not to waste their votes by supporting the Congress led by Sonia Gandhi and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party, "as both these parties are not in a position to provide a stable government."

Launching the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP combine's election campaign at a well- attended meeting here, Thackeray also came down upon the Election Commission for rejecting his demand to change the polling dates in Maharashtra in view of the coming Ganapati festival. (The demand to change the polling on September 5 to September 11 and vice versa was raised to avoid low percentage of polling). "I strongly feel it is asabotage with a view to help the Sonia Congress come out with flying colours," he alleged. Thackeray also alleged that the decision to revise the polling date from September 4 to 5 was for the benefit of muslims, as September 4 was Friday and would have affected their namaz. "Why is there no such helping hand for us?" he queried. Thackeray led a frontal attack on Pawar, who he termed a "broker" who will never become the prime minister of the country. He asked the people to permanently dump Pawar and the Congress party.