Fadnavis Calls Uddhav, Raj Thackeray ‘Ghajinis’ Over EC Protest
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Mumbai, October 5: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday launched a sharp attack on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray over their joint protest march against the Election Commission, calling the cousins “Ghajinis” and accusing them of venting their frustration over electoral setbacks against the poll panel.
“The morcha was an attempt to find back their lost ground. Despite all the hype, the attendance at the march was thin,” Fadnavis told reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Nagpur.
Taking a dig at the Thackeray cousins, Fadnavis invoked the 2008 Hindi film Ghajini, whose protagonist suffers from short-term memory loss.
“They have become like Ghajini,” Fadnavis said, questioning the Thackerays’ attempt to link the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls undertaken in 2026 and the tenure of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“Gyanesh Kumar became Chief Election Commissioner in 2025, whereas elections in Maharashtra were held in 2024, and the SIR began in 2026. How can the SIR of 2026 and the person who became Chief Election Commissioner in 2025 affect the 2024 elections?” he asked.
Fadnavis accused the opposition leaders of making “blatant” false claims and said their attack on the Election Commission reflected frustration after voters rejected them.
The opposition has alleged irregularities in the SIR process and questioned the functioning of the Election Commission. The Thackerays have also cited reports of differences within the three-member Election Commission over the SIR exercise while demanding Kumar’s resignation.
Fadnavis, however, questioned the chronology of the allegations and maintained that the issues being raised by the Thackerays could not explain the outcome of the 2024 Maharashtra elections.
The Election Commission’s official chronology shows that Kumar took charge as Chief Election Commissioner on February 19, 2025. However, he had already been serving as an Election Commissioner since March 2024, before the November 2024 Maharashtra Assembly election.
The controversy over the electoral process has now become a major political issue in Maharashtra, with the opposition stepping up its campaign against the ECI and the ruling BJP accusing its opponents of refusing to accept electoral verdicts.
Fadnavis said the protest march, held in Mumbai on Sunday, was an attempt by the Thackerays to regain lost political ground but claimed that the response was below expectations despite extensive publicity.
Taking a dig at the Thackeray cousins, Fadnavis invoked the 2008 Hindi film Ghajini, whose protagonist suffers from short-term memory loss.
“They have become like Ghajini,” Fadnavis said, questioning the Thackerays’ attempt to link the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls undertaken in 2026 and the tenure of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“Gyanesh Kumar became Chief Election Commissioner in 2025, whereas elections in Maharashtra were held in 2024, and the SIR began in 2026. How can the SIR of 2026 and the person who became Chief Election Commissioner in 2025 affect the 2024 elections?” he asked.
Fadnavis accused the opposition leaders of making “blatant” false claims and said their attack on the Election Commission reflected frustration after voters rejected them.
The Thackeray cousins had on Sunday jointly led the Virat Garjana Morcha from Metro Cinema to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters in south Mumbai. The protest demanded the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of the SIR exercise. Raj Thackeray also demanded a return to ballot-paper voting.
विरोधकांचा मोर्चा म्हणजे आपली हरवलेली जमीन शोधण्याचा प्रयत्न.
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) October 4, 2026
विपक्ष का मोर्चा यानी अपनी खोई हुई जमीन तलाशने का प्रयास।
(नागपूर | 4-10-2026) #Maharashtra #Nagpur #BJP pic.twitter.com/ls2FR5a1Na
Congress leaders Balasaheb Thorat and Vijay Wadettiwar, along with NCP (SP) leaders Jayant Patil, Shashikant Shinde, Jitendra Awhad and Anil Deshmukh, participated in the protest. The rally was organised without party flags, with participants carrying the national flag.
The opposition has alleged irregularities in the SIR process and questioned the functioning of the Election Commission. The Thackerays have also cited reports of differences within the three-member Election Commission over the SIR exercise while demanding Kumar’s resignation.
Fadnavis, however, questioned the chronology of the allegations and maintained that the issues being raised by the Thackerays could not explain the outcome of the 2024 Maharashtra elections.
The Election Commission’s official chronology shows that Kumar took charge as Chief Election Commissioner on February 19, 2025. However, he had already been serving as an Election Commissioner since March 2024, before the November 2024 Maharashtra Assembly election.
The controversy over the electoral process has now become a major political issue in Maharashtra, with the opposition stepping up its campaign against the ECI and the ruling BJP accusing its opponents of refusing to accept electoral verdicts.