Security was tightened around Shivaji Park and Dadar railway station on Friday ahead of a proposed protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, despite police denying permission for the demonstration.
The protest is scheduled for 4 pm. Police and railway authorities have deployed personnel at strategic locations around the iconic ground and station, while extensive barricading has been put up at major entry points to Shivaji Park, an official said.
Women police personnel and security teams from other agencies have also been deployed to prevent any untoward incident and regulate traffic in the Dadar area.
Some local residents have opposed the protest, citing concerns over disruption to daily life in the residential neighbourhood.
Earlier on Friday, CJP convenor Abhjeet Dipke paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi's statue in south Mumbai on the occasion of his birth anniversary.
The CJP has demanded transparency in the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and called for the 2025 voter list to be frozen, saying it should not be "tampered with further".
The party announced the protest seeking Kumar's resignation following media reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Some of the objections reportedly said the orders had been issued without their knowledge.
The Election Commission subsequently clarified that all three members of the poll panel had taken decisions, including those concerning the SIR, unanimously.
(With inputs from PTI)