Raj Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray to lead Mumbai protest over EC, SIR
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MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray will lead a joint protest march in Mumbai on October 4 against the functioning of the Election Commission and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Announcing the protest on social media on Saturday, Raj Thackeray said the MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) would organise the march but described it as a broader “people’s march”. He appealed to political parties across Maharashtra to join the mobilisation.
Raj Thackeray accused the Election Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, of functioning like a “branch of the ruling party” and alleged that voters were being subjected to “gross deception” in the name of SIR.
The proposed protest comes amid a wider political dispute over the Election Commission’s functioning and the SIR exercise.
The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections to several decisions of the poll panel, including matters related to voter registration, deletion of names and electoral-roll systems.
The Election Commission has said decisions taken by the poll panel, including those related to SIR, were unanimous.
The MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) have appealed to people across Maharashtra to participate in the October 4 march in large numbers. The organisers said the time and venue would be announced later.