Uddhav, Raj Thackeray lead protest against CEC in Mumbai

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray led the Virat Garjana Morcha in Mumbai on Sunday, 4 October, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and cancellation of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Maharashtra. Addressing the crowd, Uddhav Thackeray said if the government was manufacturing a dictator under the Make in India slogan, the protest was to bury that dictatorship. He alleged 13 crore voters had been removed from electoral lists across the country, including two crore in Maharashtra.

Thackeray criticised the appointment process of Election Commissioners, noting the Chief Justice of India was removed from the selection panel and replaced by Home Minister Amit Shah. He said the appointment of CEC Gyanesh Kumar was biased and questioned the timing of Supreme Court hearings on electoral petitions. The protest saw participation from Congress, NCP (SP), Left parties, and Peasants and Workers Party. Organisers barred party flags, with participants carrying only the national tricolour.