05 October,2026 07:15 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet Jadhav
Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray greet protesters attending their Garjana Morcha at Azad Maidan in Fort on Sunday. Pics/Ashish Raje
The Garjana Morcha organised by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar received a strong response, with a large number of citizens turning up to participate in the protest.
Leaders from the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) and Peasants and Workers Party of India (PWP) also joined the march. Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat, NCP-SP leaders Jayant Patil, Anil Deshmukh and Shashikant Shinde, and PWP leader Jayant Patil were among the protesters.
[popcorn number="2024" desc="Year Lok Sabha and Assembly polls were held in state" class="Default"]
Addressing the gathering, Raj Thackeray launched a sharp attack on the ruling government and the Election Commission of India (ECI), saying, "I have been saying since 2017-18 that vote theft has been taking place. I had met several leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee, and raised this issue with them as well. I had pointed out that something was wrong with the way elections were being conducted."
Raj and Uddhav Thackeray lead the protest march in South Mumbai on Sunday
Raj also pointed out that the addition of 40 to 60 lakh voters between the last Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections needed to be explained. "After Mahayuti secured a clear majority in Assembly poll, there was silence in Maharashtra. What kind of victory was that?" Raj said. "The BJP got 2.44 crore votes in Lok Sabha elections, and in the state Assembly elections that took place six months later, BJP got 3.16 crore votes. How is this jump possible?" he added.
Raj also said that people were not angry with those in power but they were against the way in which the ruling party was exercising power. "The people of the country must decide who is in power and who is in opposition, not the Election Commission," the MNS chief stated.
Uddhav, addressing the crowd, said, "The SIR [Special Intensive Revision] exercise was carried out to weed out Bangladeshis from voter lists. How many Bangladeshis staying in our country illegally did the government find?"
Protesters raise slogans seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar
He also alleged that Gyanesh Kumar was the "weapon of the government", claiming that two crore voters had been deleted from Maharashtra during the SIR process and that similar deletions had been done in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Uddhav also criticised the Supreme Court for not taking up an urgent hearing on SIR in West Bengal earlier this week ahead of the bypolls in the state. The Sena (UBT) chief accused the BJP of not only "stealing" votes and lawmakers, but also the donation from the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
While Raj's wife, Sharmila, and their daughter Urvashi and son Amit Thackeray were present at the morcha, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray was not, which became a topic of discussion among protesters. It was stated that he was unable to attend the morcha as he was allegedly down with fever or unwell. Rashmi Thackeray, Aaditya's mother, was also not seen at the demonstration.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Shakha Pramukh Sudhakar Ahire accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of acting at the behest of his "political masters" and demanded his resignation. "The massive turnout at the protest march clearly shows that there is anger against the ECI in the minds of people, and so Gyanesh Kumar should resign," Ahire said
The allegations around the electoral-roll revision have been disputed by the ECI, which has maintained that decisions of the three-member commission, including those relating to SIR, were taken collectively and unanimously.
The roads around the Fitzgerald Fountain crossing commonly known as Metro Cinema Chowk, were filled with protesters carrying the Tricolour on Sunday. The Thackeray cousins joined the march against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission of India (ECI) around noon, walking from Fitzgerald Fountain towards the stage in front of the BMC headquarters. Protesters followed them along Mahapalika Marg, filling the road. The rally ended around 1.30 pm after speeches by the two leaders and the national anthem. Protesters were then asked to clear the roads. By around 2 pm, vehicular movement had returned to the area. - Madhulika Ram Kavattur
Akanksha Sirsat, protester
âWe came for the protests in July for the NEET issues, and are here again for yet another issue discovered, this time with the ECI. I have seen my own grandmother, whose name has not been in the voter list since the municipal elections this January. This time we are here demanding the resignation, as well as transparency from the Election Commission'
Prachiti G, professional
âI was suspicious of such issues happening since the January elections. I had seen a few reports about the NOTA votes turning into votes for the ruling party. With the recent reports, it has just been another addition to that. I am here protesting so that the people of the country have a truthful right to vote'
