Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday described the protest march led by Uddhav and Raj Thackeray in Mumbai as an expression of frustration against the Election Commission following electoral setbacks, and referred to the leaders as “Ghajinis.”
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme, Fadnavis said the march was an attempt by the leaders to regain lost ground. He claimed that despite advance publicity, attendance at the event remained thin.
Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin Raj Thackeray, who heads the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, led a protest from Metro Cinema to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters in south Mumbai. The demonstrators sought the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Congress leaders Balasaheb Thorat and Vijay Wadettiwar, along with NCP (SP) leaders Jayant Patil, Shashikant Shinde, Jitendra Awhad and Anil Deshmukh, also took part.
Fadnavis questioned the logic of the protest, noting that Gyanesh Kumar became Chief Election Commissioner in 2025, Maharashtra’s elections were held in 2024, and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) began in 2026. “How can the SIR of 2026 and the person who became Chief Election Commissioner in 2025 affect the 2024 elections?” he asked.
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Drawing a parallel with the 2008 film Ghajini, in which the protagonist loses his memory every 15 minutes, Fadnavis said the leaders had become like “Ghajinis.” He added that while speaking untruths, one should at least try to sound believable, and accused them of venting frustration on the Election Commission after being rejected by the people.
