After cousin Uddhav, Raj Thackeray seeks scrapping of SIR

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Chief Raj Thackeray. File | Photo Credit: PTI Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Friday (September 25, 2026) sought the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. He termed it a “new weapon in the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party”.“It has become evident how the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] leveraged individuals like Gyanesh Kumar to secure an endless grip on power,” Mr. Thackeray said in a post on social media platform X.The demand comes amid the Opposition’s chorus seeking the removal of India’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of SIR. This was after media reports of differences flagged by the two Election Commissioners.Echoing the demand made by his cousin Uddhav Thackeray, Mr. Raj also sought elections on the ballot papers. He also supported the call given by several other opposition parties to seek unity of all the parties to fight against it.“Observing the irregularities within the SIR and noting that even Election Commissioners are speaking out about them, only one conclusion remains: the entire SIR process must be scrapped. All opposition parties in the country need to unite for this cause. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena [MNS] demands the complete cancellation of the recent SIR exercise, an impartial inquiry into the irregularities, and a start the process anew,” Mr Thackeray said in his post.Speaking to the media this week, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray had said that some States should have re-elections in light of the fresh allegations. He said that the opposition parties had been raising the issue of anomalies in the voters’ lists for some time.Meanwhile, protests were held at several places in the country by Congress on Friday (September 25), seeking the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar. Published - September 26, 2026 05:15 am IST