RAHUL GANDHI PUTS MODI ON THE SPOT OVER GYANESH KUMAR AS DELHI TRADERS WARN OF FESTIVE-SEASON LOSSES
October 26, 2026
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has intensified the INDIA bloc’s confrontation with the Election Commission, urging Delhi’s traders to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and declaring that the ongoing protests would stop within 30 seconds if the demand were met. His remarks came as traders expressed concern that the Opposition alliance’s planned November 1 rally in the national capital could disrupt business during the crucial festive shopping season.
Addressing the trading community through a post on social media on Monday, Gandhi said that he understood the difficulties faced by business owners amid road restrictions, traffic diversions and disruptions to public transport during political demonstrations. However, he argued that the responsibility for the situation lay with the government and linked the dispute to the Opposition’s allegations of electoral manipulation.
“We love you and hear you,” Gandhi said in his message to Delhi’s traders. He accused the authorities of shutting metro services, sealing roads and effectively locking down the capital. Connecting these disruptions to the controversy over electoral rolls, he warned that what the Opposition describes as vote theft threatens not only the democratic rights of citizens but also their livelihoods, savings and their children’s future. He then urged traders to ask Modi to remove Kumar, asserting that the protests would end within 30 seconds if the Prime Minister acted on the demand.
The statement came after the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) requested that the INDIA bloc postpone its November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan until after November 10. The traders’ organisation warned that a large political gathering, combined with traffic diversions and restrictions on movement, could affect commercial activity during one of the busiest periods of the year. The dates are particularly significant for Delhi’s markets, with Dhanteras falling on November 6, Diwali on November 8 and Bhai Dooj on November 10.
Traders have argued that the weeks surrounding these festivals are vital for wholesale and retail businesses, as consumers increase spending on jewellery, electronics, clothing, household goods, sweets and gifts. Disruptions to transport and access to commercial districts could reduce customer footfall and affect sales at a time when many businesses depend on festive purchases to sustain their annual earnings. The CTI has therefore urged Opposition leaders to consider postponing the rally to avoid additional pressure on the trading community.
Gandhi’s response, however, made clear that the Congress would continue to press its demand for action against the Chief Election Commissioner. Rather than directly accepting the traders’ request for postponement, he argued that the government could bring the agitation to an end by removing Kumar. His remarks sought to connect the commercial community’s immediate concerns with the Opposition’s broader campaign over the integrity of India’s electoral system.
The dispute centres on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, an exercise that has become a major source of confrontation between the INDIA bloc and the Election Commission. Opposition parties have alleged that irregularities in the revision process could result in eligible voters being excluded from electoral lists. They have demanded greater transparency, accountability and corrective action, while the Election Commission’s handling of the process remains at the centre of the political controversy.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has also renewed the Opposition’s attack on the government and the Election Commission, accusing the authorities of protecting Kumar despite what he described as evidence of electoral irregularities. Kharge questioned the Election Commission’s refusal to disclose information about software used in the SIR process under the Right to Information framework, citing the commission’s reference to trade secrets. The Congress has alleged that withholding such information prevents adequate scrutiny of the electoral-roll revision process.
Kharge has urged supporters to participate in the INDIA bloc’s November 1 march and rally at Ramlila Maidan under the broader campaign against alleged vote theft. The alliance has demanded Kumar’s resignation, a halt to the SIR exercise and restoration of voters’ names that the Opposition alleges were unlawfully removed. It has also called for changes to the legal framework governing election commissioners and advocated the use of paper ballots for elections.
The Congress has raised particular concerns about electoral records in Uttar Pradesh. Kharge claimed that details concerning 16.18 lakh Form 6 applications had not been made public and cited alleged discrepancies involving 10,470 voters in Pilibhit. Form 6 is used to apply for inclusion in electoral rolls, while Forms 7 and 8 relate to objections, deletions, corrections and other changes. Following allegations of irregularities in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa directed officials to scrutinise Forms 6, 7 and 8 entered by computer assistants since April 10, when the state’s SIR exercise concluded. The allegations, however, do not by themselves establish that electoral fraud occurred.
The Election Commission’s role in maintaining accurate electoral rolls has consequently become a central issue in the political confrontation. The Opposition argues that transparency and accountability are essential to public confidence in elections, while the dispute over the SIR process has sharpened disagreements between the Congress-led alliance and the authorities responsible for conducting elections.
For Delhi’s traders, the immediate question remains whether the planned rally will interfere with business during the festive period. Their appeal reflects the tension between the right to organise political demonstrations and the economic consequences that large gatherings, road closures and transport restrictions can have on commercial activity. The INDIA bloc, meanwhile, maintains that the electoral controversy is too important to abandon simply because the campaign has become disruptive.
Gandhi’s message has therefore brought two competing concerns into direct confrontation: the trading community’s demand for uninterrupted business during the festive season and the Opposition’s determination to continue its campaign against alleged electoral irregularities. By declaring that the protests could end within 30 seconds if Modi removed Kumar, Gandhi placed responsibility for resolving the confrontation squarely on the Prime Minister while signalling that the INDIA bloc’s demands remain unchanged.
With the November 1 rally approaching, the dispute is likely to remain a prominent feature of the national political debate. Whether the organisers alter their plans in response to the traders’ concerns or proceed with the demonstration, the confrontation over the SIR exercise and the leadership of the Election Commission continues to raise wider questions about electoral transparency, institutional accountability and the balance between political mobilisation and the everyday interests of citizens.
