At a press conference ahead of the BMC elections, BJP leader Nitesh Rane spread the conspiracy of ‘vote jihad’, fearmongering about alleged Bangladeshi and Rohingya “infiltrators”. He claimed Amit Shah and Devendra Fadnavis would “kick them out” and labelled Muslim-majority areas as “Pakistans”. Rane also called the namaz at Shaniwarwada an “insult” and accused those who offered it of having a “jihadi mentality”.