MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has backed Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke’s call for a nationwide protest from October 2 if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar does not resign, saying Mumbai would turn out in large numbers against what he termed “Vote Chori”.Responding to Dipke’s post on X announcing that CJP would begin its nationwide protest from Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti and then take it to cities across India, Thackeray wrote, “If Gyanesh doesn’t go, Mumbai will step out against Vote Chori from 2nd October, in huge numbers!!”Dipke had said on Friday, “If Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by tomorrow, CJP will begin its nationwide protest from Mumbai on 2 October, and take it to cities across India. This Gandhi Jayanti let’s pledge to save democracy.”The CJP’s protest call comes amid the ongoing controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.The organisation has demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, a halt to the SIR exercise and restoration of the January 2025 electoral rolls, besides an independent inquiry into the decision-making process behind SIR.The protest is also being announced amid reports of differences within the Election Commission over decisions linked to electoral rolls.Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions and orders concerning electoral rolls.The Election Commission has maintained that decisions, including those related to SIR, were unanimous and approved by all three election commissioners.
