Mumbai, October 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
In a show of political unity, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday led the ‘Garjana Morcha’ in Mumbai, challenging the Election Commission of India (ECI) over alleged irregularities in voter lists and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
The joint march, which began at Metro Cinema and proceeded towards the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters, saw participation from several opposition parties, including the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), the Congress, Communist parties and the Peasants and Workers Party.
Thousands of demonstrators, carrying the Tricolour instead of party flags, demanded accountability from the Election Commission, the scrapping of the SIR process and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Addressing the gathering, Raj Thackeray questioned the outcome of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, pointing to what he described as an unusual silence across the state following the results. He argued that the absence of public celebrations reflected widespread disillusionment and raised questions about the electoral mandate.
Raj also questioned the reported increase of 40 to 60 lakh voters in Maharashtra within six months of the Lok Sabha elections, alleging that the surge compromised electoral integrity.
Recalling his warnings about electronic voting machines (EVMs) and discrepancies in voter lists dating back to 2017-18, he said he had raised the concerns with senior opposition leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee and Sharad Pawar.
Raj alleged that the SIR process was being used to remove legitimate voters while facilitating the inclusion of bogus entries. He called for the immediate scrapping of the exercise in Maharashtra and demanded that future elections be conducted using ballot papers.
“SIR in the country is illegal. I have only two demands. First, the SIR conducted in Maharashtra must be scrapped. Second, all future elections must be conducted on ballot papers. This will ensure complete transparency, doodh ka doodh, paani ka paani,” he said.
He also urged political parties to unite and raise the issue in Delhi, stressing that governments must come to power through fair and legitimate elections.
Uddhav Thackeray, meanwhile, criticised the BJP-led government at the Centre, accusing it of gaining control over institutions and engineering splits in political parties. He also questioned the powers and immunity enjoyed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during and after his tenure, calling for his removal.
The joint protest brought the Thackeray cousins and their opposition allies together around demands for electoral transparency and accountability, placing the SIR process and the functioning of the Election Commission at the centre of the political debate in Maharashtra.
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