Congress protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar spread across India; Gaurav Gogoi detained, tear gas fired in Manipur

Congress workers staged protests across several states on Friday demanding the resignation and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with demonstrations reported in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Manipur and West Bengal amid a political row over the Election Commission's functioning and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The protests followed a directive from the All India Congress Committee (AICC) to state units to march to Election Commission offices and demand action against Kumar.

Also read: CJP says will launch 'nationwide protests' from October 2 if CEC Gyanesh Kumar doesn’t quit by Saturday


The nationwide agitation came a day after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi intensified his criticism of the poll panel, demanding Kumar's immediate resignation and alleging that elections in India had been "rigged". The Opposition has also indicated that it is preparing a motion seeking Kumar's removal in both Houses of Parliament.

The political confrontation intensified after an Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders concerning the SIR process. The reported objections covered issues including changes to voter-registration Form 6, additions and deletions from electoral rolls and centralised control of electoral-roll data.

The Election Commission has rejected the characterisation of the objections as evidence of institutional dissent. It has said differing views, operational queries, internal feedback and administrative suggestions are part of the normal functioning of a multi-member constitutional body, and maintained that final decisions relating to SIR were unanimous.

Gogoi detained in Assam; tear gas used in Manipur

In Guwahati, Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi was detained by Assam Police during a protest demanding Kumar's resignation.

"Today, as people have come to know that Gyanesh Kumar Ji has committed a crime and committed an act of treason, he should resign today and legal action should be taken against him," Gogoi said during the protest, according to ANI.

"Legal action should be taken against them, and they should be arrested. Along with Gyanesh Kumar, the ones sitting behind him—their masters, Prime Minister Modi Ji and Home Minister Amit Shah Ji—should remember today that the country will not forgive them," he added.

Gogoi said the dispute concerned citizens' voting rights and accused the Election Commission of failing to protect electoral rolls.

In Manipur, Congress workers led by Pradesh Congress Committee president Okram Ibobi Singh and Congress Legislature Party leader Keisham Meghachandra Singh marched towards the Chief Electoral Office at Lamphelpat, demanding Kumar's resignation, arrest and prosecution.

Protesters burnt an effigy of Kumar and raised slogans. Police fired tear gas shells after the demonstration turned confrontational, according to PTI and ANI.

The protesters also sought an independent review of decisions and electoral-roll changes made during Kumar's tenure.

The Manipur Congress additionally alleged that Gen Z was being targeted for exclusion from electoral rolls. It invoked former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's decision in 1988 to lower the voting age from 21 to 18, saying one prime minister had given Gen Z the vote while another was seeking to "snatch it away through underhand means".

In Jammu and Kashmir, Congress MLAs protested against Kumar inside the Legislative Assembly as proceedings began. Nizamuddin Bhat, Irfan Hafiz Lone and Iftikhar Ahmad raised slogans and displayed banners reading "Protect the vote, protect the democracy" and "No democracy without fair elections".

The members attempted to enter the well of the House, prompting Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to ask them to return to their seats and warn of action. The Speaker also told the protesting MLAs that the Election Commission of India "is not in our control". The members later returned to their seats and Question Hour continued.

Heavy police deployment was reported outside the Election Commission office in Jammu during a separate Congress protest.

Congress leader Chaudhary Lal Singh said demonstrations were being held wherever Election Commission offices were located and alleged that the poll panel had "misused the people's right to vote". His claims were part of the party's wider allegations over the electoral process.

Congress protests in Dehradun, Lucknow, Chandigarh

In Dehradun, Uttarakhand Congress leaders and workers led by state in-charge Kumari Selja and Pradesh Congress Committee president Ganesh Godiyal marched from the PCC headquarters towards the Election Office at the state Secretariat.

Godiyal said, "Rahul Gandhi has been saying this for the past three years that under vote theft, the Election Commission is getting BJP governments installed, and this fact has been proven true today. I salute Rahul Gandhi for his steadfastness."

Leader of Opposition in the Uttarakhand Assembly Yashpal Arya alleged that the objections raised by Sandhu and Joshi showed that the CEC had disregarded their concerns. He also demanded Kumar's immediate dismissal and legal action against him.

In Lucknow, Congress workers gathered at the party's state office and staged a demonstration over the SIR exercise, with plans to march towards the State Election Commission office in Hazratganj.

Also read: Gyanesh Kumar CEC controversy: Oppn cries ‘act of treason’, arrest calls as alleged 14 internal objections within EC ignite SIR row

In Chandigarh, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring demanded Kumar's dismissal and legal action against him and others he alleged were involved in wrongdoing. The party had announced a march to the Election Commission office in Sector 17 under the leadership of Sachin Pilot.

Congress workers also demonstrated in Kolkata and other locations as part of the nationwide programme.

In Karnataka, the Pradesh Congress Committee filed a police complaint at High Grounds Police Station in Bengaluru against Kumar and BJP MLA Abhay Patil, seeking legal action over alleged violations of voting rights and alleged manipulation of electoral rolls.

The protests followed the Indian Express report that Sandhu and Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period. The report said the objections included concerns over the modification of Form 6 and aspects of voter-list management and electoral-roll databases.

The ECI has maintained that such internal observations are part of institutional deliberations and that all final decisions on SIR were taken unanimously.

The BJP has also rejected the Congress' allegations. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi defended the SIR process as legally sound and said the Commission's decision-making was based on majority consensus.

The Congress has indicated that opposition parties may move a motion seeking Kumar's removal in both Houses of Parliament. Congress sources told The Indian Express that the motion was being drafted with legal experts.

The controversy is also set to figure at the Congress Working Committee meeting scheduled for September 29 in New Delhi.

Separately, the Cockroach Janta Party has threatened nationwide protests from October 2 if Kumar does not resign by September 26. The organisation announced the campaign after demanding Kumar's resignation within 48 hours and launching its "Election Commission Thik Karo" campaign.

The CJP said its protests would begin in Mumbai on October 2 and subsequently spread to other cities. It has also demanded a rollback of the SIR to its 2025 status and called for the upcoming elections to be frozen.