Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday announced a joint march in Mumbai on October 4 against the functioning of the Election Commission (ECI) and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra, days after an Express investigation revealed a rift within the poll body.

The October 4 march will begin in Mumbai’s Byculla at 11:30 am and culminate at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). Participants will only carry the Tricolour, Raj Thackeray said.

“The protest march will start from Byculla, and we will walk to BMC headquarters. The public rally will be held in front of BMC headquarters. There will be no political party flags in the rally. We are going to walk against the ECI and welcome the ruling parties to join us as well. There are multiple protests ongoing in the country and state. We all have a common aim,” Raj Thackeray said.

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Raj Thackeray said the protest is not planned to target any political party but is against the functioning of the Election Commission in recent years. He said all political parties are invited to participate, including those in the ruling alliance.

Responding to questions about the BJP’s criticism of Opposition allegations against the Election Commission, Raj said, “Guilty conscience needs no accuser,” and asked why the BJP was troubled by the Opposition raising questions about the poll body. Raj Thackeray said he has been raising questions on the election process since 2017-18.

The Thackerays’ announcement comes amid growing Opposition scrutiny of the SIR exercise in Maharashtra.

Uddhav said his party supported other Opposition-led protests on the issue, including a Congress protest scheduled for October 2. He said political parties do not necessarily have to participate in every protest and can pursue their own programmes.

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Indicating the possibility of a joint Opposition protest against the Election Commission, he said, “If necessary, we will all hit together.”

The joint appearance of Uddhav and Raj Thackeray to announce the protest march is the latest public show of cooperation between the Thackeray cousins, who have been coordinating on issues concerning the voter lists and the forthcoming civic elections. The two had earlier announced the October 4 march against the SIR.