Nationwide Protests Erupt as Opposition Parties, Youth Leaders Demand Action Against Gyanesh Kumar
Political tensions over the Election Commission intensified across India as Congress and other Opposition groups staged nationwide demonstrations on Friday, September 25, demanding the resignation, removal and, in some cases, legal action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Protests were reported in Delhi, Assam, Bihar, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Telangana and other states.
The demonstrations were driven by Opposition concerns over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and reports of disagreements within the poll panel. Opposition parties have alleged that certain decisions concerning voter registration and electoral-roll management require investigation and greater transparency.
In Delhi, Congress and Indian Youth Congress activists gathered near Jantar Mantar, while heavy barricading and police deployment were put in place. Several prominent protesters and political leaders were detained, including CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, AISA president Neha Bora, psephologist Yogendra Yadav and transparency activist Anjali Bhardwaj, according to reports.
The demonstrations also saw confrontations with police in several places. Water cannons were used against protesters in Patna and Chandigarh, while tear gas was reportedly used in Manipur. In Assam, Congress MP and state party chief Gaurav Gogoi was among those detained after protesters attempted to breach police barricades.
The latest agitation follows reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on multiple occasions over certain decisions and orders. The reported concerns included changes involving statutory Form 6, additions and deletions from electoral rolls and aspects of centralised control over electoral-roll data.
Opposition parties have responded by demanding an investigation into the Election Commission’s functioning and, in several cases, a halt or review of the SIR exercise. Fresh parliamentary action seeking Kumar’s removal is also being prepared, while an earlier notice submitted by Opposition MPs remains pending in the Rajya Sabha.
Youth-led groups have added another dimension to the campaign. The Cockroach Janta Party, led by Abhijeet Dipke, issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding Kumar’s resignation and threatened further nationwide mobilisation. The Indian Youth Congress has separately launched a campaign seeking Kumar’s removal and calling for an investigation into electoral records and the reported objections within the Commission.
The Election Commission has rejected the interpretation that differences among commissioners indicate a breakdown or irregular functioning of the institution. It has maintained that differing views and observations are part of normal institutional deliberations and that its orders have legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.
The controversy therefore remains centred on two sharply different interpretations: Opposition parties and allied youth groups are seeking greater scrutiny of the SIR process and Kumar’s role, while the Election Commission maintains that its procedures and decisions are legally authorised. The nationwide protests have now brought the dispute from parliamentary and political debate onto the streets.
