Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray are leading a joint protest march in Mumbai on Sunday (October 4). The protest is directed against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The parties allege irregularities in the electoral process and are demanding his resignation.
Raj and Uddhav Thackeray had announced the “Garjana Morcha” last month. The march focuses on the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. It follows the mass “Jail Bharo” demonstration organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Shivaji Park on October 2, 2026, which went ahead even though police had denied permission for the gathering.
In videos shared by news agency ANI, supporters of the state’s opposition parties were seen gathering in large numbers near Mumbai’s Metro Cinema and walking towards Azad Maidan.
Raj Thackeray’s demands
Addressing the crowd, Raj Thackeray said, “People will decide who will sit in power, not ECI. The BJP knows the ECI is with them, they can do anything.”
Participants in the march, dubbed the Virat Garjana Morcha (Grand Roar March), demanded the removal or resignation of the CEC over alleged irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls. Raj Thackeray also demanded that the SIR in Maharashtra be scrapped, calling the process “totally illegal.” “EVMs should be discarded and voting must be done on ballot papers,” the MNS chief said.
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Only national flags allowed
Party flags and symbols were not permitted during the march. Participants and supporters were asked to carry only the national tricolour, reinforcing the organisers’ attempt to present the protest as a collective campaign on electoral and constitutional issues. The decision also helped avoid the display of separate party identities as leaders and workers from different opposition groups joined the demonstration.
