OPPOSITION PROTESTS AGAINST CEC GYANESH KUMAR SPREAD ACROSS MULTIPLE STATES

September 29, 2026

Protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar spread across several parts of India on September 28, with opposition parties and activist groups taking to the streets over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

In Delhi, Congress workers demonstrated near the Election Commission headquarters and other locations, while security forces deployed extensive barricading and personnel around the area. Demonstrations were also reported in Patna, Bhopal, Jaipur and Srinagar, where police used measures including water cannons and detentions to prevent protesters from advancing towards designated locations.

The protests have been driven largely by opposition parties’ objections to the SIR process and allegations concerning the deletion of voters from electoral rolls. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, during a visit to Delhi’s Bela Estate, alleged that hundreds of residents had been excluded from the draft rolls. Election officials, however, have said the voters were placed in the appropriate list after their registered residences were demolished and they were no longer residing at those addresses.

The demonstrations also witnessed arrests and clashes in some locations. In Patna, the CPI-led “Badlaav Zaroori Hai” march was stopped by police using water cannons, while the CPI alleged that some of its leaders were injured during a police baton charge. In Agra, police arrested Congress leaders in connection with alleged vandalism at the residence of the Chief Election Commissioner’s parents.

The Election Commission has announced measures intended to address grievances arising from the SIR exercise, including relief provisions for affected voters. Opposition parties have nevertheless maintained that the measures do not adequately address their concerns and have indicated that protests and parliamentary efforts will continue.

The dispute has developed into a wider political and institutional confrontation over electoral-roll revision, voter inclusion and the functioning of the Election Commission, with further legal and political proceedings expected.