In a major political escalation across the country, the Indian National Congress alongside several opposition parties staged coordinated nationwide protests demanding the immediate resignation and judicial investigation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The widespread political demonstrations erupted following recent media reports highlighting internal administrative friction within the Election Commission of India, where sitting election commissioners raised repeated formal objections regarding procedures used during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls. Addressing media briefings in New Delhi, senior opposition leaders accused the poll panel leadership of unilateral decision-making and failing to maintain absolute transparency while revising electoral rolls across multiple states. Concurrently, youth organizations and civil society coalitions announced deadline-bound agitation plans, threatening to launch mass public rallies at symbolic protest venues if central authorities do not address administrative concerns regarding voter list integrity. In response, ruling party representatives and election commission officials vigorously defended the revision process, asserting that all administrative decisions follow statutory rules aimed at removing illegal duplicate entries and ensuring clean, verified voter registries.

Nationwide Mobilization Escalates Election Commission Credibility Crisis

Stepping up pressure on the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Congress party and allied Opposition groups took to the streets across multiple state capitals and union territories on Friday, September 25, 2026. Demonstrators marched toward State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) offices and public squares, calling for the immediate removal and criminal prosecution of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The agitation follows reports detailing 14 formal dissent notes filed over the past 10 months by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi concerning centralized database modifications and procedural bypasses during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Overview: Key Highlights of Nationwide Opposition Protests Against CEC

Region / CityAgitation Scale & Action HighlightsPolice Interventions & Legal Status
New Delhi (Jantar Mantar)Joint Rally: Congress, TMC, AISA, & civil society figures40–50 Detained (including AISA & CPI-ML leaders)
Patna (Bihar)March to CEO Office over voter roll mass deletionsWater Cannons Used to disperse marching crowds
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh)State Secretariat Siege led by UP Congress leadershipClashes & Barricade Breaches reported
Jammu & KashmirAssembly Disruption + street rallies in JammuMLAs Flashed Banners; MP Nasir Hussain detained
Guwahati & ManipurCEO Office Gherao across Northeastern state capitalsTear Gas Shells Fired in Manipur; detentions in Assam

High-Voltage Agitations in Capital and State Centers

At Delhi's Jantar Mantar, prominent Opposition figures—including Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, activist Yogendra Yadav, and lawyer Prashant Bhushan—joined hundreds of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and All India Students' Association (AISA) workers. Protesters displayed chained hands and masks depicting the CEC, accusing the poll panel of enabling "voter deletion and artificial manipulation". Delhi Police briefly detained around 50 participants, citing lack of official venue permission.

In Patna, police deployed water cannons to stop a high-profile Congress march moving toward the state election office. Similar clashes occurred in Lucknow and Guwahati, where workers broke police cordons. In the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Congress legislators disrupted Question Hour, trooping into the well with banners asserting that "there is no democracy without fair elections" and demanding the CEC's immediate dismissal.

Demand for Independent Review and Legal Approver Status

Leading the assault from Malappuram, Kerala, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal stated that resigning alone would not absolve the CEC, declaring his actions a "criminal offence that merits immediate arrest". Party spokesperson Pawan Khera called on Gyanesh Kumar to "heed Rahul Gandhi's advice—resign and turn approver" regarding instructions issued during the SIR process.

The Opposition demanded an immediate halt and independent judicial audit of all electoral roll deletions executed under the SIR drive across 30 States and UTs. With District Congress Committees (DCCs) scheduled to gherao District Collectorates on September 28, the row over Election Commission governance is set to escalate further ahead of upcoming parliamentary and state legislative cycles.