Uddhav Thackeray invokes Hitler at anti-EC march in Mumbai; Raj demands SIR rollback, return to ballot papers

The Thackeray cousins, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray, joined forces in Mumbai on Sunday for a protest against the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Addressing supporters after the march, Uddhav invoked Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler while attacking what he described as authoritarianism and alleged manipulation of electoral rolls. "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," Uddhav said. Uddhav also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" slogan, saying the initiative was acceptable as long as it did not lead to the creation of a dictatorship. "If, under 'Make in India', you are also going to manufacture a dictator in our country, then we have gathered here today to bury that dictatorship and put an end to it," he said. Uddhav targets EC, Gyanesh Kumar Uddhav accused the Election Commission of overseeing the deletion of voters from electoral rolls and questioned the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He claimed that 13 crore names had been deleted from electoral rolls across the country and alleged that voters had been excluded in states including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. These claims were made by Uddhav during the protest. "I have a question mark over the appointment of the Election Commissioners. The Election Commission should be appointed through an election," he said. Uddhav also questioned the change in the composition of the panel that appoints Election Commissioners, asking how Gyanesh Kumar was appointed. Turning an earlier anti-corruption slogan into a new political attack, he said, "Earlier, it was 'India Against Corruption', and now it is 'India Against Vote Chors'." He also accused the BJP of using state power for "revenge" rather than governance. Raj Thackeray demands Maharashtra SIR rollback Raj Thackeray called for the cancellation of the SIR exercise in Maharashtra and demanded a return to ballot paper-based elections. "Our demand is that the entire SIR conducted in Maharashtra should be cancelled," the MNS chief said. He claimed that between 40 lakh and 60 lakh voters had been added during the Maharashtra Assembly elections and alleged that around two crore voters were now being removed through the SIR exercise. "Who are these two crore voters?" he asked. Raj also urged political parties to take the issue to Delhi and demand that the SIR be withdrawn. "Voting machines should be discontinued, and elections should be conducted using ballot papers," he said. The protest comes amid a wider opposition campaign against the Election Commission over the electoral roll revision exercise. Opposition leaders have alleged irregularities in the process and demanded greater accountability from the poll panel. Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Sanjay Raut, Arvind Sawant and Anil Parab also backed the mobilisation, framing it as a protest against alleged threats to voting rights and democratic institutions.