Uddhav, Raj Thackeray Lead ‘Virat Garjana Morcha’ in Mumbai, Demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s Resignation

Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray jointly led a massive protest rally in Mumbai on Sunday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. They also called for the cancellation of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra. The protest was named the ‘Virat Garjana Morcha.’

The rally began from the Metro Cinema area and proceeded towards the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters in South Mumbai. Leaders of the Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) also participated in the protest.

Raj Thackeray demanded that the SIR process underway in Maharashtra be scrapped completely. He also called for future elections to be conducted using ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He said transparency in voter-list revisions and the voting system was essential to maintain public confidence in the electoral process.

Uddhav Thackeray alleged that CEC Gyanesh Kumar was attempting to deprive people of their right to vote. He criticized the removal of voting rights of more than 2.06 crore voters in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra previously had around 9.78 crore registered voters, but only 7.71 crore names were included in the draft electoral roll released after the SIR process. Following this development, opposition parties in Maharashtra have joined forces to launch a joint movement.