ON January 19, 2026, the CPI(M) began a truly massive march on foot of around 50,000 people hailing from all the tehsils of the Palghar district in Maharashtra. It comprised tens of thousands of peasant women. The overwhelming number of people in this march were Adivasis. The 55 Km-long March started from Charoti in Dahanu tehsil, stopped for the night at Manor, and then marched on January 20 to the Palghar District Collectorate.

At the time of filing this report, the massive gathering is now on an indefinite dharna at the Palghar Collectorate until its burning and long-standing demands are conceded by the government in writing with a definite time frame. On January 21, the District Collector invited a CPI(M) delegation for discussions, which are still going on. 

This Palghar march revived memories of the Kisan Long March from Nashik to Mumbai led by the AIKS in 2018. Thousands of red flags, red banners, red badges, and red scarves were the distinguishing feature of this march, which was well covered by large sections of the media.

Class and mass fronts like the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Student's Federation of India (SFI) and Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch (AARM) also mobilised for this march in huge numbers.

The march began under the leadership of the CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and AIKS National President Dr Ashok Dhawale, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and AIDWA National General Secretary Mariam Dhawale, CPI(M) Central Committee member, State Secretary and AIKS National Joint Secretary Dr Ajit Nawale, CPI(M) Central Committee member, CITU State Secretary and two-term sitting MLA from Dahanu Vinod Nikole, CPI(M) State Secretariat member and AARM State Convenor Kiran Gahala, and many others. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and AIKS National General Secretary Vijoo Krishnan also joined the march on January 20.

The major demands of the march are as follows: Rigorous implementation of the Forest Rights Act, vesting of all temple, inaam and government land in the name of the tillers, cancellation of the smart meter scheme which is looting the people for the benefit of private corporates, restoration of MNREGA and work to all who demand it for at least 200 days a year with a wage of Rs 600 per day, implementation of PESA and filling of all vacant posts, water for drinking and irrigation, completion of the works under the Jal Jeevan Mission, housing for all the needy under the Gharkul scheme, all project-affected people must get compensation as per the LARR Act 2013, repeal of the Labour Codes, cancellation of the Wadhwan and Murbe Ports, increased facilities for education, employment, ration, health, and so on.

The massive CPI(M) rally which marched for over 55 Km over two days, reached the Palghar District Collectorate on the evening of January 20. Instead of showing some sensitivity to the tens of thousands of poor peasant women and men, the Palghar administration and police thoughtlessly blocked the agitators of the CPI(M) from camping in the vast compound of the district collectorate where agitators were usually routinely allowed.

Hence the CPI(M) decided to peacefully gherao the whole collectorate. At the same time, because of the foolish decision of the administration, the vital highway between Palghar and Boisar, which is right outside the Collectorate, was also blocked by the agitators.

The CPI(M) gave a call to all its activists to mobilise even more strength from every village and hamlet of the district, to create maximum pressure on the government during the talks with the District Collector on January 21. The CPI(M) Palghar march is getting remarkable support and sympathy from all sections of the people in the district.

The struggle is being led by CPI(M) leaders Dr Ashok Dhawale, Vinod Nikole, MLA, Kiran Gahala, Radka Kalangda, Laxman Dombre, Lahani Dauda, Sunita Shingda, Prachi Hatiwlekar, Amrut Bhawar, Chandu Dhangda, Yashwant Budhar, Ganesh Dumada, Harshal Lokhande etc.

Over two months of preparations by the Party and mass fronts went into the success of this Charoti to Palghar march. This included Party general body meetings in each tehsil, meetings of all the class and mass fronts, and then a series of meetings in hundreds of villages.

Three months ago on November 1, 2025, Palghar district saw the massive 30,000-strong women’s rally at Dahanu to mark the AIDWA Maharashtra State Conference. A month before that, on October 10, 2025, a 25,000-strong rally and public meeting was held at Wada in the same district in connection with the inauguration of the new two-storey CPI(M) office there.  

In Nashik district, the CPI(M) and AIKS from January 17 began large road blockades at around 10 rural tehsil centres, with a total of over 25,000 peasant women and men participating. From January 21, the marchmoves towards Nashik, reaching on January 25. It is being led by former CPI(M) Central Committee member and former AIKS State President J P Gavit, ex-MLA, and other leaders Subhash Choudhari, Savliram Pawar, Indrajit Gavit, Irfan Shaikh, Kisan Gujar, Bhika Rathod, Ramesh Choudhari, and many others.