Uddhav Thackeray seeks sacking and imprisonment of Gyanesh Kumar; re-election for Maharashtra, TN, West Bengal

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray. File | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday (September 23, 2026) sought the removal and imprisonment of Chief Election Commissioner of India Gyanesh Kumar. He also sought re-election in the States of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. He said that all future elections should be held on ballot papers.“These elections should be held on ballot paper. Gyanesh Kumar should be jailed immediately. All the wrong decisions of the Election Commission should be revoked. All the elections where Gyanesh Kumar had intervened should be held again. I appeal to all the opposition parties to come together to save democracy,” he said at a press conference at his residence, Matoshree, in Mumbai. He accused Mr. Kumar of working on the instructions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.Reacting to reports of differences between the two Election Commissioners and the Chief Election Commissioner, he thanked Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. “This is a rebel by the two Election Commissioners. They have a majority now. I want to thank them on behalf of the country,” he said.Mr. Thackeray accused Mr. Kumar of “murdering democracy”.The Election Commission has refuted the reports saying that inputs given at draft stage should not be construed as final decisions.Hitting out at Mr. Kumar, Mr. Thackeray said, “For the past several days, there has been a demand to remove him. The real face of Gyanesh Kumar has come before the country.”He alleged that the Election Commission had allotted the Shiv Sena name and symbol to the rival faction, referring to the ongoing political dispute within the party.“The Election Commission gave the Shiv Sena symbol and name to the traitors. Around 40 lakh voters’ names were added to the list before the elections and removed after the elections. These things are happening only because of the hunger for power,,” he said.He alleged that during SIR, 90 lakh names were deleted in West Bengal and 70 lakh were deleted in Tamil Nadu. “Ahead of the 2024 assembly elections, 45 lakh voters were added in Maharashtra, and now objections have been raised against 40 lakh citizens on the list,” he said.He said that if no action is taken against Mr. Kumar, “people will take matters into their own hands. If people lose faith in the electoral process, then it will lead to anarchy in the country. Published - September 24, 2026 02:40 am IST