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Pawar Backs Wider Action as Thackerays Protest Election Chief
Raj and Uddhav Thackeray led a protest in Mumbai about concerns over voter lists and elections.
The protest called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign.
Raj Thackeray also said Maharashtra’s SIR process should be cancelled and elections should use paper ballots instead of electronic voting machines.
He questioned the increase in voter numbers between two elections in 2024.
Uddhav Thackeray said the issue was bigger than any one political party or community.
Sharad Pawar said similar demands were being made in other parts of Maharashtra.
He said he would support a solution if political parties worked together.
The articles report allegations and political statements, not findings that voter irregularities occurred.
Raj and Uddhav Thackeray led a Mumbai protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged voter-list irregularities.
Sharad Pawar said demands for action were also being raised in Pune, Nagpur and other parts of Maharashtra.
Pawar said he would support a solution agreed upon by concerned political parties and action against those responsible for irregularities.
Raj Thackeray called for cancelling Maharashtra’s SIR process and replacing electronic voting machines with paper ballots.
Uddhav Thackeray described the protest as a broader fight to protect the country’s freedoms, not the cause of one party or group.
- Who
- Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray led the protest; Sharad Pawar commented on it.
- What
- A protest called for action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged voter-list irregularities.
- Where
- Mumbai, Maharashtra; Pawar said similar demands were also being raised in Pune and Nagpur.
- When
- October 4, 2026.
- Why
- Protesters raised concerns about alleged voter-list irregularities and the voting process.
Protest leaders’ claims
Pawar’s call for a joint response
How to address alleged irregularities
Protest leaders’ claims
Raj Thackeray demanded cancellation of Maharashtra’s SIR process and a shift from electronic voting machines to paper ballots; Uddhav Thackeray called the issue a countrywide fight to protect freedoms.
Pawar’s call for a joint response
Sharad Pawar said he would support a solution when concerned political parties came together and decided how to address the issue and those responsible for irregularities.
Key facts
- Protest
- Garjana Morcha, led by Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray
- Route
- From Metro Cinema towards the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters
- Target of protest
- Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar
- Raj Thackeray’s demands
- Cancel Maharashtra’s SIR process and discontinue electronic voting machines in favour of ballot papers
- Pawar’s response
- He said he would support a solution reached by concerned political parties and action against those responsible for irregularities.
- Other reported locations
- Pune, Nagpur and other parts of Maharashtra
- Date
- October 4, 2026
Quotes
Uddhav Thackeray
Chief of Shiv Sena (UBT) and a leader of the protest.
“The reason for this is that this fight does not belong to any single party, individual, caste, or religion. Rather, this fight is for our country—that is, for our freedom.”
freepressjournal.in
“This demand is not limited to Mumbai. It is also being raised in Pune and Nagpur, and in several other parts of the state.”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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