Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray are joining forces for a major public mobilisation in Mumbai on Sunday against the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The two leaders have appealed to people across Maharashtra to participate in the protest, which they have sought to project as a citizens' movement rather than an agitation limited to their respective parties. Congress and NCP (SP), allies of Shiv Sena (UBT) in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, are also expected to support the protest.
The march will begin from Metro Cinema and proceed towards the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters, after the original route was shortened following a request from Mumbai Police. The initial plan had involved starting from Byculla.
Thackeray brothers seek wider political front
The MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) have said the objective of the mobilisation is to protest what they describe as voter-list manipulation and structural irregularities associated with the SIR exercise.
In a joint statement, the parties said the rally should not remain confined to their organisations and announced plans to approach political parties across the spectrum to build a broader front.
"This is a rally of the people," the statement said, adding that the organisers wanted it to become "the collective voice of the entire political system and the citizenry".
The two parties have therefore invited opposition parties and citizens to join the protest. They have framed the agitation as a campaign to protect democratic institutions and the Constitution, rather than a conventional partisan demonstration.
The organisers have appealed to people to participate in large numbers and "come together to save the democracy of this country and the Constitution of this nation".
Raj Thackeray targets ECI and Gyanesh Kumar
Raj Thackeray had earlier launched a sharp attack on the BJP and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the SIR process.
He demanded that the ongoing revision of electoral rolls be cancelled and accused the ruling party of using important institutions to maintain what he described as an "endless grip on power".
Raj Thackeray has also urged opposition parties across the country to unite for a larger agitation and called for the return of paper ballots.
The Thackeray brothers' protest is specifically focused on the functioning of the ECI and the revision of electoral rolls. Their parties have alleged that the SIR process could result in voter names being wrongly removed or otherwise affect the integrity of electoral rolls.
The Election Commission, however, maintains that SIR is intended to ensure accurate and comprehensive electoral rolls. The Maharashtra State Election Commission has also clarified that the SIR exercise is being conducted by the Election Commission of India, rather than the state poll panel.
Route changed ahead of Sunday march
The protest route was modified shortly before the demonstration. Organisers initially planned to begin the march from Byculla, but it will now start at Metro Cinema and end near the BMC headquarters.
The change followed a request from Mumbai Police and was intended to shorten the route of the demonstration.
The march is being referred to as a public or "Jan Morcha" and the organisers have called on citizens to participate without allowing it to become an exclusively party-driven event.
Local preparations were under way in Mumbai on Sunday morning, with barricading reported around Metro Cinema and a stage being prepared near the BMC headquarters. The march was scheduled to begin at around 10am.
Protest follows wider opposition campaign
The Mumbai mobilisation comes amid a broader campaign by opposition groups and civil society organisations against the ECI and SIR.
Uddhav Thackeray had earlier argued at an INDIA bloc meeting that opposition parties should hold joint programmes against the Election Commission instead of organising separate protests. He criticised what he described as an "Ekla Chalo" approach, saying separate demonstrations could dilute the impact of a collective opposition campaign.
The Thackeray brothers subsequently invited other political parties to join their October 4 march.
The development also follows protests in Mumbai by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which has demanded the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Thousands gathered at Shivaji Park on October 2 despite the police denying permission for the protest, with Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS extending support to the agitation.
The Mumbai protest therefore brings together several strands of the wider opposition campaign over electoral-roll revision, the Election Commission's functioning and demands for greater transparency in the electoral process.