Protests Demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s Resignation Intensify; Security Tightened At Delhi ECI Office

Protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar were held in several parts of the country on Friday, with posters targeting the poll chief appearing at Delhi’s ITO and Congress-led demonstrations taking place in multiple states over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Posters put up in ITO carried the message, “gyanesh kumar hatao, chunav aayog bachao“, as the Delhi Congress prepared to stage a protest outside the Election Commission of India (ECI) office. Police personnel were deployed outside the office ahead of the demonstration.

Protests also erupted in Kolkata on Friday as demonstrations against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the SIR exercise spread to more parts of the country.

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The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) also planned a protest march from 5, Raisina Road to Jantar Mantar, demanding Kumar’s resignation.

The demonstrations come amid an intensifying political row over the functioning of the Election Commission and the SIR exercise. An Indian Express report on Thursday said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the SIR process.

Congress MLAs Protest In J&K Assembly

The issue also triggered a protest inside the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Friday, with Congress MLAs raising slogans against Kumar and demanding his resignation and arrest.

As House proceedings began, Congress MLAs Nizamuddin Bhat, Irfan Hafiz Lone and Iftikhar Ahmad displayed banners carrying messages including “Protect the vote, protect the democracy” and “No democracy without fair elections”.

“This is an attack on democracy,” Lone said.

Bhat urged Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to allow the Congress members to be heard. The Speaker, however, asked them to return to their seats. When the MLAs continued their protest and attempted to enter the well of the House, Rather warned them of action.

The protesting members also demanded Kumar’s resignation and arrest. The Speaker told them that the Election Commission of India “is not in our control”.

The Congress MLAs later returned to their seats and Question Hour continued.

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Protests In Madhya Pradesh, Punjab

The Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress staged a demonstration in Bhopal on Thursday, demanding Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission and the SIR exercise. 

Protesters gathered outside the office of the Madhya Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer and raised slogans against the CEC. They also carried posters that read “arrest Gyanesh Kumar for treason” and “Vote-Chori magic trick exposed”.

Bhopal district Youth Congress president Ankit Dubey alleged that no proper inquiry was conducted despite objections by two Election Commissioners regarding the deletion of voters’ names and access to the voter database.

In Punjab, Pradesh Congress Committee president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring demanded Kumar’s dismissal, an FIR against him and his alleged collaborators, and their arrest.

Warring said the Punjab Congress leadership had held a Zoom meeting with MLA Sachin Pilot to discuss the issue and announced a march to the Election Commission office in Sector 17, Chandigarh, under Pilot’s leadership.

“The march will begin at 11 AM on September 25 from near the RBI Office, Sector 17, Chandigarh, and proceed towards the ECI office,” he said.

Warring also said the party would continue to seek accountability over the issue, asserting that the sanctity of the vote and the Constitution could not be compromised.

IYC Launches Online Petition

The Indian Youth Congress on Thursday launched a nationwide online citizens’ petition titled “Gyanesh, It’s Done Bro”, seeking action against the CEC and urging citizens, particularly young people, to participate in a campaign focused on electoral transparency and accountability.

Through the petition, the IYC demanded Kumar’s removal as CEC and called for his arrest and prosecution. It also sought a comprehensive investigation into electoral-roll processes, the release of electoral records and internal objections, and action over an alleged BJP connection raised by the campaign.

Opposition parties are also preparing to move an impeachment motion notice against Kumar in both Houses of Parliament. Congress has been reaching out to other Opposition parties, with the notice expected to be submitted within the next two weeks, according to party sources.

A separate Indian Express report said the Goa Chief Electoral Officer had written to authorities in Delhi eight times within seven days seeking access to certain facilities but received no response.

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Congress Escalates Allegations

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged with “100 per cent certainty” that elections from the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to several Assembly contests had been “rigged”. He demanded Kumar’s resignation and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were at the top of a conspiracy.

“The first thing we are saying is Mr. Gyanesh Kumar must resign immediately… This thing that you have done is an act against the Indian nation… A person who attacks the vote, who fundamentally destroys India’s democratic institution, is nothing other than a ‘Desh Drohi’,” Gandhi said.

He also said the CEC should “turn Approver”.

In Raipur, All India Adivasi Congress president Vikrant Bhuria backed Gandhi’s allegations of “vote theft”. Bhuria alleged that votes had been stolen, elections rigged, names deleted from electoral rolls and ineligible names added.

Karnataka Congress Files Police Complaint

In Karnataka, the Pradesh Congress Committee filed a police complaint seeking legal action against Kumar and BJP MLA Abhay Patil over alleged violation of citizens’ voting rights and alleged attempts to manipulate electoral rolls.

The complaint was submitted by KPCC General Secretary S Manohar at High Grounds Police Station in Bengaluru.

The Congress alleged that Patil had written a letter seeking deletion of eligible voters’ names from electoral rolls and sought penal action against Kumar over alleged arbitrary deletion of valid voters.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also demanded the CEC’s resignation over alleged differences within the Election Commission.

Speaking to reporters, Yadav said the Opposition and those seeking to protect democracy were demanding Kumar’s resignation. He alleged that the election had been “snatched away”.

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ECI Rejects Allegations Of Internal Dissent

The Election Commission has rejected the assertion that the reported objections by Sandhu and Joshi amounted to structural or institutional dissent over its final decisions.

The poll panel said operational queries, internal feedback and administrative suggestions raised during the drafting process were part of the normal functioning of a multi-member constitutional body. It maintained that all final decisions, including those related to SIR, were unanimous.

The ECI has also said that ECINet is a secure, decentralised digital platform operated under the Representation of the People Acts, 1950 and 1951. According to the poll panel, statutory duties on the platform are carried out by designated field officers, including Booth Level Officers, Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, Electoral Registration Officers, District Election Officers and Chief Electoral Officers, using unique IDs and secure credentials.

The controversy over the SIR exercise and the Election Commission’s internal functioning is expected to come up at the Congress Working Committee meeting scheduled for September 29 in New Delhi.

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