Maharashtra Opposition To Launch Massive Protest On November 1 Against EC Over Voter List Irregularities

Maharashtra: The Opposition in Maharashtra on Sunday announced a large-scale protest against the Election Commission of India, alleging discrepancies in the voters' list and criticising the poll body for lack of transparency in the electoral process.

The call for protest comes after several rounds of discussions involving Election Commission officials, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Dissatisfied with the Election Commission’s response to their concerns, the opposition alliance has decided to launch a protest named the ‘Virat Morcha’ and escalate their agitation by taking to the streets.

Speaking at a press conference, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut said, “On November 1, which is a Saturday, a Virat Morcha will be held in Mumbai under the leadership of Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray, and senior Congress leaders.”

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“Lakhs of voters from across the state, who have been deprived of their right to vote, will participate in this morcha,” he added.

Mumbai, Maharashtra: On the planned protest march of opposition parties to the State Election Commission, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut says, "The march has been announced, and all leaders have spoken to each other. We will provide the route for this march in 2–3 days" pic.twitter.com/uq4unM8hlW

— IANS (@ians_india) October 19, 2025

The protest, which is being called ‘Virat Morcha,’ was announced at a press conference attended by senior leaders from Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), Congress, MNS, and CPI.

In earlier meetings, the Opposition expressed serious concerns about errors in the voters' list, including incorrect names and addresses, as well as the lack of transparency in the verification process. They also submitted detailed written representations to the Election Commission, urging them to provide clarifications.

“Transparency is key to democracy. We believe the Election Commission is withholding crucial information. Those who wish to safeguard democracy must participate in this Morcha,” NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Jayant Patil said.

MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar, who returned to Shiv Sena Headquarters after 24 years, said, “The EC has issued instructions to district magistrates, which means it has acknowledged the shortcomings. The MNS will urge all Maharashtrians to join this morcha. We have come together because we want to save democracy.”

Speaking at the press conference, Raut cited a recent claim by MNS chief Raj Thackeray that nearly 9.6 million fake voters have been added throughout Maharashtra.

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“As Raj Thackeray said, there are almost one crore fake voters in the state. I consider them infiltrators. Just yesterday, Home Minister Amit Shah said they'll identify and remove infiltrators from the voter list. We hope he acts on this,” he added.