Seven opposition parties in Maharashtra came together in Mumbai on Saturday forming a united front against the Election Commission of India (ECI), demanding that the civic body polls be deferred until the state’s electoral rolls are “cleaned up”. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray announced plans to move court with “evidence of anomalies” in voter lists.The protest march, called the ‘Satyacha Morcha’ (March for Truth), was organised ahead of the local and civic body polls to demand rectification of alleged irregularities such as multiple entries, wrongful deletions and additions in the voter lists.The march began near Fashion Street and Metro Cinema in south Mumbai and culminated at the BMC headquarters, about a kilometre away. Thousands of workers from the Shiv Sena (UBT), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), NCP (SP), Congress, Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) and Left parties including CPI and CPM joined the march.Former chief ministers Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, MNS chief Raj Thackeray, and Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat led the rally.The Opposition leaders accused the ECI of ignoring duplicate names, fake entries and wrongful deletions in voter lists. They said elections should only be held after the voter lists were “clean and transparent”.Raj said his party’s verification drive had found “lakhs of duplicate and bogus voters” across Maharashtra. Quoting figures, he claimed these were duplications in official rolls in 11 LS seats.He also claimed about 4,500 voters from Kalyan had voted in both Kalyan and Malabar Hill constituencies. “There are 4,500 voters from Kalyan who have also voted in Malabar Hill. These are not mistakes — they are deliberate manipulations,” Raj claimed.Story continues below this adHe showed bundles of printed voter lists to the crowd, calling it “proof of duplicate voters”, as Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar looked on. “If both Opposition and ruling party members agree that duplication exists, then why the rush to hold polls? Clean the lists first. Even if it takes one more year, democracy is more important than deadlines,” he added.Raj described the protest as a “march of anger, strength and truth,” adding that the Opposition had united “to make Delhi hear Maharashtra’s voice.”He urged MNS workers to check the rolls minutely for dual names, saying “Whenever dual voters are caught, thrash them and hand them to police.”In his speech, Uddhav accused the ECI and the state government of manipulating the voters list. “They stole our party, stole our name, stole our symbol — and now they are stealing our votes,” he said. “If the Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) claims he will expose how the Opposition benefited, that means he accepts that vote theft took place,” Uddhav added.Story continues below this adHe announced that the Opposition would soon move court with documentary evidence. “We have proof. We trust the judiciary. And if the courts do not give justice, the people’s court surely will,” he said.He claimed his name had been uploaded on the ECI’s Saksham app using a fake mobile number, suggesting an attempt to remove him from the list.Sharad Pawar and Thorat also addressed the gathering, echoing the demand for a full revision of electoral rolls. Pawar called the protest “a show of strength to protect the Constitution and democracy”. He said the BJP-led governments in Maharashtra and at the Centre were misusing power to target opponents.Pawar said, “This morcha is not about political power but about saving institutions that protect democracy. The BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra are misusing power to target rivals.”Story continues below this adThorat alleged that despite repeated complaints, the ECI had failed to act. “In my constituency alone, over 9,000 bogus names were found. When we met officials, they promised corrections, but nothing happened,” he said.