Protests erupt across India as opposition parties demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over internal dissent report

Protests have broken out in multiple cities following a media report that two Election Commissioners raised formal objections over poll panel decisions. Indian Youth Congress members staged a demonstration in New Delhi on Friday, September 25, 2026, wearing masks of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and marching with bound hands to demand his resignation. Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and several senior party leaders were detained in Guwahati while trying to cross police barricades during a march toward the Chief Electoral Officer's office.

Demands and Dissent

The political storm follows an Indian Express report stating that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally objected at least 14 times over 10 months. The report alleged that key choices were made in the name of the full Commission without their knowledge, and some were unauthorized. Opposition leaders quickly seized on the report. Former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan demanded the immediate removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and a halt to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Odisha BJD president Naveen Patnaik also called for the CEC's resignation and a thorough review of the SIR process, claiming over 25 lakh eligible voters were deleted in Odisha. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the CEC of snatching away elections and urged him to step down.

Responses and Legal Action

Legal and political counterattacks followed swiftly. A petition moved in the Supreme Court by advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi asks for the CEC to face police investigation and trial like an ordinary accused, alleging illegal decisions and tampering with electoral rolls. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke warned of nationwide protests starting October 2 if the CEC does not resign. Meanwhile, the Election Commission maintained that differing views form a normal part of its decision-making process during nationwide electoral database updates, and insisted all final decisions were unanimous. The BJP dismissed the criticism, with MP Sudhanshu Trivedi calling Rahul Gandhi a master of deception, while Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged that 13 crore voter names had been deleted and called any political meddling an act of treason.