Maharashtra

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray made a strong demand at India Today Mumbai Conclave. The Worli MLA said Election Commission official Gyanesh Kumar needs to be removed over alleged poll bias during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Thackeray pointed out that many legitimate voters were left out during the SIR process. He called it a serious attack on democracy and said the opposition will not sit back quietly.

He also defended his support for civic and local demonstrations, saying these public movements show real public concern and are not just about party politics.

Thackeray added that this has been a lost decade for India. He pointed to bad infrastructure, economic slowdown, and unfulfilled farmer relief packages in drought-hit areas of Maharashtra. He is confident that future elections will reward honest, public-focused representatives.

During growing protests over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced special voter registration camps across the state.

Several eligible citizens are still finding their names missing from the draft voter list, and these camps aim to fix that gap directly.

Fadnavis has asked all eligible citizens who are not in the draft voter list to fill Form-6 and apply for voter registration as soon as possible. Without this step, your right to vote stays at risk.

Why These Camps Matter

The announcement comes after weeks of opposition protests demanding clarity in the SIR process. Voter list updates remain a sensitive issue, and such camps could reduce confusion among first-time and existing voters alike.

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has made serious claims before its planned protest against Election Commission at Jantar Mantar, Delhi on Saturday, October 10.

The party says activists travelling from Maharashtra to Delhi for the protest were removed from trains and taken to unknown places. CJP Maharashtra reports that several trains heading to Hazrat Nizamuddin and New Delhi stations were cancelled, and metro stations near Jantar Mantar were shut down. These claims have not been independently confirmed.

What the spokespersons said

CJP Maharashtra spokespersons Trisha Pudke and Sushil Kumar raised questions about the action in a video message. "If we cannot ask questions in a democracy, where are we supposed to ask them?" they said. They added that activists from Maharashtra and other parts of the country were being stopped from reaching the protest spot.

The spokespersons said that questioning people in power is a democratic right, and the party will push for answers through constitutional means. They also confirmed that Saturday's protest will go ahead as planned.

Through the video message, CJP Maharashtra asked citizens to join whatThe request was rejected because it was considered high risk

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray gave a strong statement at India Today Mumbai Conclave, saying he does not trust the current Election Commission of India. In an interview with Rajdeep Sardesai, he specifically criticised the Special Intensive Revision process of electoral rolls, claiming real voters were left out of draft rolls.

Demands Election Commissioner's resignation

Thackeray went further and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He pushed back against claims that opposition parties only question EVMs and voter lists after losing elections, pointing to past complaints from Mumbai Northwest constituency where he has contested.

On the wider political picture, he called the last ten years a lost decade for national employment, economic growth, and infrastructure. He projected that the next general election could come before 2029. Thackeray also shared that Shiv Sena (UBT) plans to field younger candidates, talked about Maharashtra's civic amenities and drought relief, and affirmed support for Rahul Gandhi within INDIA alliance.

Opposition parties of the INDIA bloc held protests in Nagpur, Chandrapur and Amravati on Thursday against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. They said the Election Commission of India has failed to keep the electoral process clear and fair.

What happened across the three cities

In Nagpur, leaders and workers of Congress, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), CPI and CPM marched from the Mahatma Gandhi statue to the district collectorate. A delegation handed over a memorandum to the administration. It pointed out their concerns about how ECI has been running and asked for more clarity in electoral processes. Protesters shouted slogans against Kumar and showed support for Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, former minister Sunil Kedar, Nagpur city Congress president Prafulla Gudadhe and many other leaders were at the Nagpur protest.

In Chandrapur, Congress MP Pratibha Dhanorkar called for Kumar's resignation. She was speaking at the party's 'Vote Bachao-Desh Bachao' agitation, part of its 'Loktantra Bachao Week'. Congress workers marched from Gandhi Chowk to the district collectorate. A delegation there submitted a memorandum addressed to President Droupadi Murmu. Dhanorkar said the campaign is about protecting voters' rights, constitutional values, and the independence of the Election Commission.

In Amravati, opposition parties marched to the district collectorate. A delegation gave a memorandum to collector Ashish Yerekar. Former minister Yashomati Thakur criticised the BJP-led government and Election Commission. She alleged that the electoral process had been compromised. MP Balwant Wankhade, former minister Sunil Deshmukh and several other leaders led the protest.

Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer's office has rolled out special measures to make sure every eligible voter is added to the electoral roll, while keeping ineligible names out.

Voter registration camps are running at colleges and universities till October 9 to help young voters sign up. Booth Level Officers are there to help students with forms and clear doubts about the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

A home visit campaign is also on to spot eligible voters who are missing from the draft roll. BLOs are collecting Form 6 from new voters after verifying their eligibility.

Camps at polling stations on October 10 and 11

If you were not home during BLO verification visits, you can register at your polling station on these two days.

Voters who have moved to a new address and find their names in the absent or migrated list can also apply for enrolment. The list is on the CEO Maharashtra website.

Offline applications for claims and objections can be filed till October 12 with the Electoral Registration Officer, Assistant Electoral Registration Officer, BLOs or at designated polling stations. You can also apply online through the Election Commission's voter services portal or the ECINET mobile app.

These steps come at a time when the Opposition is asking for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, citing irregularities in the SIR process.

Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Maharashtra, has started special voter registration camps and home visit checks across the state. This is being done under the Election Commission of India (ECI) rules and is part of the current Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process for voter lists.

Special camps are running at colleges and universities from October 5 to October 9. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are helping students fill application forms and answer questions about the SIR process.

BLOs are also doing home visits to find eligible people who are missing from the Draft Electoral Roll. They collect Form 6 during these visits. If a resident was not available at home, special camps will be held at all designated polling stations on October 10 and October 11.

If your name is listed among absent or shifted voters, you can apply for re-enrolment or correction. The official list of absent and migrated voters is available at ceoelection.maharashtra.gov.in for public verification.

Deadline: October 12 is the last date to submit claims, objections, and new registration requests. You can hand over applications to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO), local BLOs, or at designated polling stations during camp days.

CEO has asked citizens to submit applications online through the ECI portal at voters.eci.gov.in or via the ECINET mobile application. Complete applications with required documents will be processed for inclusion in Assembly Constituency voter lists.

Why periodic verification matters

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis defended the SIR process on October 5. He said periodic checks are very important because urbanisation, migration, new eligible youth, unrecorded deaths, and constituency transfers keep changing voter demographics.

He outlined steps like home visits, Form distribution, record cleaning, and public verification as part of the clear process. These steps help make sure the voter lists stay accurate.

Citizen groups and minority organisations in Mumbai want the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls stopped right away. They also want the Election Commission of India (ECI) to be dissolved and its members to face prosecution.

At a press conference, United Against Injustice and Discrimination (UAID) spoke up on this issue. The People's Union for Civil Liberties and the Association for Protection of Civil Rights backed the group. They raised serious concerns over the removal of around 13 crore names from electoral rolls across the country. The government has said these deletions were for people who had died, moved to a new address, or had duplicate names on record.

Advocate Sandhya Gokhle said the SIR process in Maharashtra has deleted 31% of voters so far. She also said 18% of voters got notices after draft rolls were created. Gokhle added that five million voters were added to Maharashtra's electoral rolls between the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the state Assembly elections that followed.

Advocate Gayatri Singh said the highest number of deletions in Maharashtra happened in areas with large populations of religious minorities. She pointed to places like Bhiwandi, Mankhurd and Nala Sopara. Singh also criticised a provision she called illegal, which was added to Form 6. That form is meant for first-time voters.

Other speakers, including Dolphy D'Souza of the Bombay Catholic Sabha and social activist Ulka Mahajan, called the SIR process ad hoc and faulty. They want changes in how the ECI is set up. Some speakers also want a return to ballot papers and the withdrawal of Electronic Voting Machines.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He said the exercise protects the rights of genuine voters.

In a post on X, Fadnavis said SIR is important to make sure every voter's ballot is used only by the person entitled to cast it. He raised concerns about whether votes could be cast in someone else's name or in the names of deceased electors.

He pointed out duplicate entries and voting in names of deceased persons as serious problems that harm the democratic process. SIR, he said, would help find and remove such irregularities and make electoral rolls clean, accurate and reliable.

Fadnavis also said a clean electoral roll is very important for a fair election. He urged voters to support the SIR process. Backing the exercise means protecting the rights of every eligible citizen.

Election Commission has been conducting SIR across several states. The exercise has become a big political issue over concerns about the process.

Meanwhile, INDIA bloc leaders marched towards Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday. They demanded the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Opposition MPs were stopped by barricades from entering Nirvachan Sadan. Several leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, staged a sit-in at Akashvani Bhavan, around 100 metres from the EC office.

Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several other leaders were later detained by Delhi Police. Congress MPs Pawan Khera, KC Venugopal and Amarinder Singh Raja Warring were also detained, along with Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib outside Akashvani Bhavan.

Supreme Court has raised serious questions about Election Commission's decision to give Shiv Sena's bow-and-arrow symbol to the Eknath Shinde faction. The bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, asked if the symbol should go to those who committed what he called the

Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra, S Chockalingam, wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI) suggesting changes to the enumeration form for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The goal was to reduce stress on voters and lower the workload of booth-level officers (BLOs).

Chockalingam proposed pre-filling elector details from the last SIR roll where mapping was available. He also suggested allowing voters to correct discrepancies directly and sign off, rather than issuing notices for hearings. Another key suggestion was a bilingual form in Marathi and English for urban voters in Mumbai and Pune.

However, sources indicate that the ECI largely ignored these suggestions. Several state CEOs, including those from Bihar, have made relaxations at the ground level to ease the process. Bihar officials had also urged the ECI to include Aadhaar in the SIR process from the start, a step the poll panel only took after a Supreme Court directive.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has backed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, even as controversy grows around Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Fadnavis asked every eligible voter to check their name in the draft voter list and apply through the official process if needed. This message matters more than the political noise around it.

The SIR has sparked debate among political parties, with some raising questions about the CEC's role. Fadnavis stood firm and asked voters to take the process seriously instead of getting caught up in the row.

What You Need to Do

If you are a voter, now is the time to verify your details. Missing from the draft list? Act fast and follow the official procedure.