'Demand Not Limited To Mumbai': Sharad Pawar Reacts To Raj, Uddhav Thackeray's Mumbai Protest Seeking Gyanesh Kumar's Resignation

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday reacted to the protest organised in Mumbai by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena (UBT) against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged voter list irregularities, asserting that the demand is not limited to Mumbai.

Pawar calls for political parties to come together

Speaking to reporters, Pawar said that the demand for action against the Election Commission of India, led by Gyanesh Kumar, was not limited to Mumbai, but was also being raised in Pune, Nagpur and other parts of the state.

“The state government is going through the SIR process. When all concerned political parties come together to find a solution to this issue and take a decision regarding those who have committed irregularities, we will stand with them and extend our support,” Pawar added.

Pune, Maharashtra | On MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray joint protest march, NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar says, "This demand is not limited to Mumbai. It is also being raised in Pune and Nagpur, and in several other parts of the state. The state government is going through the SIR process. When all concerned political parties come together to find a solution to this issue and take a decision regarding those who have committed irregularities, we will stand with them and extend our support"

— ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2026

Thackeray-led protest draws crowd

A massive crowd was seen at the Garjana Morcha protest led by Raj and Uddhav Thackeray near the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters. Several protesters were seen holding the Tricolour and posters targeting Gyanesh Kumar while raising slogans against him.

Visuals from the protest show demonstrators supporting the Thackeray brothers in their demands against Gyanesh Kumar and calling for his resignation.

#WATCH | Mumbai: Visuals From Metro Cinema As Raj-Uddhav Thackeray Lead ‘Garjana Morcha’ Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Reported by @m_journalist

Follow LIVE updates: https://t.co/rKyJ1uCbRf #MumbaiProtest #ProtestMarch #Maharashtra #GyaneshKumar #ElectionCommission #CECGyaneshKumar

— Free Press Journal (@fpjindia) October 4, 2026

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

Raj Thackeray raises vote concerns

Raj Thackeray demanded that the entire SIR process conducted in Maharashtra should be cancelled, electronic voting machines should be discontinued and that the elections should be conducted using ballot papers.

“I had said that elections should be boycotted... There is definitely something wrong with the voting process. Elections cannot be conducted in this manner. What I said at that time is now being understood by everyone. How did they get a complete majority in the Assembly elections?” Raj added.

Mumbai | MNS chief Raj Thackeray says, "Since 2017-18, I have been saying that vote theft is taking place. Since then, I have been meeting leaders across the country. I met Mamata Banerjee, Rahul Gandhi and several others. At that time, I had said that elections should be boycotted...There is definitely something wrong with the voting process. Elections cannot be conducted in this manner. What I said at that time is now being understood by everyone. How did they get a complete majority in the Assembly elections? In Maharashtra, the BJP, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar got a majority. But after that, there was no celebration in Maharashtra; there was only silence. There was no enthusiasm among party workers or the people. Between the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, within a gap of just six months, the number of voters increased by lakhs. How did voting suddenly increase by lakhs within six months? How did the Assembly elections see one crore more votes than the Lok Sabha elections?..."

— ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2026

The MNS chief questioned how the total number of voters increased by 40 lakh to 60 lakh between the 2024 Lok Sabha election and the Maharashtra Assembly election held later that year.

Uddhav Thackeray, meanwhile, asserted that the reason for the protest was that the fight against 'Vote Chori' did not belong to any single party, individual, caste or religion. He said that the protest was a fight of the entire country to save their freedoms.

Mumbai, Maharashtra: On protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray says, "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. I remember, and you might remember too, that when Modi ji became Prime Minister for the first time, he made an announcement: "Make in India." Remember? We agreed with that. But if a dictator is being made in our country under "Make in India," then today we are standing here to crush and throw that dictator out of this country. We accept everything about Make in India. But if you are becoming a dictator under the name of Make in India, then consider your dictatorship destroyed by us..."

— IANS (@ians_india) October 4, 2026

“I remember, and you might remember too, that when Modi ji became Prime Minister for the first time, he made an announcement: ‘Make in India.’ Remember? We agreed with that. But if a dictator is being made in our country under ‘Make in India,’ then today we are standing here to crush and throw that dictator out of this country,” Uddhav added while addressing the crowd.

The 'Garjana Morcha' marks a significant escalation in the opposition's campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with calls for his resignation.

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