Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 4 (ANI): Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the joint protest march led by MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, dismissing the agitation as lacking any legal basis or genuine public cause and calling it a "Langur Morcha".
The rally was held against the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid the opposition's campaign over Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Shelar dismissed it as a reaction to the electoral defeat.
"The march they held today involved neither any legal demand nor any legal issue. Today is 'World Animal Day'; in this context, I would call it a 'Langur Morcha'. The public defeated them in the elections, which is why they are criticising the Election Commission, Shelar told ANI.
Defending the poll body, Shelar questioned the selective outrage of opposition leaders regarding election outcomes. "When the Election Commission completes a process, is it done in secret? No. What matters is the final decision taken, even if the two commissioners held differing opinions. If we lose an election, the Election Commission is wrong, but if we win, it is right?" he said.
Highlighting the electoral record under Gyanesh Kumar, Shelar said that, "I want to clarify that six assembly elections have taken place since Gyanesh Kumar became a commissioner in February 2025, and non-BJP parties formed governments in three of them; so, how does such a question even arise?"
This comes after Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray targeted Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and raised questions over the poll panel's functioning, leading a joint protest march toward the BMC headquarters against Gyanesh Kumar. Opposition parties have been demanding his resignation.
Uddhav Thackeray said the protest was aimed at opposing what he described as an attack on voters' rights and democracy.
"We are standing here today to overthrow the dictator," he said. He claimed that names of "13 crore people" had been deleted from electoral rolls across the country and alleged that voters had also been excluded in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
He criticised the removal of the Chief Justice of India from the committee involved in the appointment process and questioned the appointment of Gyanesh Kumar as Chief Election Commissioner.
"The first question is how was Gyanesh Kumar appointed?" Thackeray said. He also alleged that the powers being exercised through the Election Commission were affecting citizens' voting right.
"Does the Home Ministry have the power to cancel a person's citizenship rights? They are using that power through Gyanesh Kumar, and that is why we do not want Gyanesh Kumar," he said.
"Hitler was also a dictator like this, but ultimately, he had to shoot himself. A similar situation could arise in this country as well. Those acting arbitrarily should keep this in mind...We will not rest until he is brought out onto the streets and punished within the framework of the law," he added.
Raj Thackeray called for cancellation of the SIR exercise in Maharashtra."Our demand is that the entire SIR conducted in Maharashtra should be cancelled," he said.
He questioned the circumstances under which the revision exercise was undertaken."The law says that SIR is conducted if an emergency situation arises," he said.
Raj Thackeray also alleged that a large number of voters were added during the Maharashtra Assembly elections and claimed that two crore voters were now being removed through SIR."Forty to sixty lakh voters were added during the Assembly elections, and power was captured through this. And now, through SIR, two crore people are being removed. Who are these two crore voters?" he asked.
"I appeal to all political parties to go to Delhi and demand that the SIR should be cancelled. Voting machines should be discontinued, and elections should be conducted using ballot papers," he said.
The joint protest comes amid an ongoing political controversy over the SIR exercise and the functioning of the Election Commission. Raj and Uddhav Thackeray had announced the October 4 march against the poll panel, inviting other political parties to participate. The Opposition has alleged irregularities in electoral rolls, while the Election Commission has maintained that the revision process is aimed at updating and cleaning electoral rolls and has mechanisms for claims and objections.
The Indian Express reported last month that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally recorded objections on at least 14 separate occasions over 10 months regarding decisions on electoral rolls, voter registration, and technology systems. These reported concerns pertained to Form 6 submissions, voter deletions, and access to the central electoral-roll databases.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) later rejected claims of institutional dissent and stated that administrative queries, operational inputs, and suggestions during draft stages are standard practice. The poll panel emphasised that all final decisions regarding the SIR schedule were taken unanimously.
The INDIA bloc is stepping up its nationwide campaign against the Chief Election Commissioner and the commission's handling of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have planned a series of demonstrations, including a coordinated protest on October 6 and a major rally in New Delhi on November 1. (ANI)
Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar slams Thackeray brothers joint march as "Langur Morcha", says had "neither any legal demand nor issue"
