‘Anti-BJP mood prevailing’: Uddhav calls for joint Opposition protests against CEC

Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray told INDIA bloc leaders on Wednesday that he believed an “anti-BJP” mood was prevailing in the country and called for joint Opposition protests demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Participating virtually in the meeting in New Delhi, Thackeray said Kumar should either resign or be removed, according to a Shiv Sena (UBT) functionary.

“The mood of the people in the country is against the (BJP) government. Parties are staging protests against the Election Commission separately. All Opposition parties must stage the protests together,” Thackeray was quoted as saying.

The INDIA bloc meeting discussed a joint action plan over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Opposition parties have been demanding Kumar’s removal over their allegations concerning the conduct of the revision exercise. The Election Commission has defended its procedures and said its decisions have legal sanction.

Thackeray also called for re-elections in states where polling had taken place in recent years, particularly West Bengal and Maharashtra.

He proposed that the re-elections be conducted using ballot papers rather than electronic voting machines.

The demand comes after the Trinamool Congress lost power in West Bengal in the April 2026 assembly elections, while the BJP-led alliance retained power in Maharashtra after the November 2024 assembly polls.

The INDIA bloc finalised plans for joint rallies and “save democracy marches” over the SIR issue. The Opposition also plans to march to the Election Commission's office in Delhi on 6 October.

In Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena are scheduled to hold a joint protest in Mumbai on 4 October over SIR.

Thackeray's remarks came amid a broader Opposition campaign against the Election Commission. The Congress Working Committee had earlier demanded the removal of Kumar and suspension of SIR, while Opposition parties have been seeking coordinated action on the issue.

The meeting was attended by representatives of 19 political parties and lasted more than three-and-a-half hours, according to the report.