Uddhav, Raj Thackeray lead 'Garjana Morcha' in Mumbai, demand Gyanesh Kumar's resignation

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday jointly led the Virat Garjana Morcha in Mumbai, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra.

The march began at Metro Cinema in South Mumbai and culminated near the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters, where the two leaders addressed supporters. Leaders from the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) also participated in the protest.

Raj Thackeray demands scrapping of Maharashtra SIR

Addressing the gathering, Raj Thackeray demanded that the SIR exercise in Maharashtra be cancelled. He also called for future elections to be conducted using ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Raj questioned changes in Maharashtra's voter numbers between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and raised concerns over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls. He also cited an opinion attributed to former Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh regarding the circumstances under which a Special Intensive Revision can be conducted.

The allegations made by the opposition leaders have not been established.

Uddhav Thackeray targets CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Uddhav Thackeray accused the Election Commission of irregularities in the voter-roll revision process and demanded action against Gyanesh Kumar.

He alleged that the SIR process had resulted in the deletion of voters from electoral rolls and questioned the manner in which the revision was being carried out. Uddhav also accused the ruling BJP of using the Election Commission for political purposes, a claim that has been rejected by the BJP.

Opposition leaders join protest

The protest saw participation from several opposition leaders, including Congress leaders Balasaheb Thorat and Vijay Wadettiwar, along with NCP (SP) leaders Jayant Patil, Shashikant Shinde, Jitendra Awhad and Anil Deshmukh.

Organisers had asked participants not to carry party flags and instead carry the national Tricolour during the march.

Sharad Pawar backs wider action over SIR

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said the concerns over the Election Commission and the SIR process were not restricted to Mumbai. He said similar demands were being raised in Pune, Nagpur and other parts of Maharashtra and indicated support for political parties coming together to address alleged irregularities.

The Mumbai protest comes amid wider demonstrations against the Election Commission and the voter-roll revision process, with protesters demanding greater transparency and accountability in the electoral process.