INDIA bloc launches nationwide protests to demand resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar

The INDIA bloc has launched a month-long nationwide protest campaign demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the country's poll body of carrying out large-scale "vote theft" ahead of upcoming elections.

The political escalation triggered an immediate, heavy security lockdown across New Delhi, with the government shutting down metro stations and suspending mobile internet services to block planned demonstrations.

Delhi turned into a fortress

To prevent a planned march to Jantar Mantar and Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Ministry of Home Affairs ordered a temporary suspension of mobile internet around the Janpath-Kartavya Path crossing. More than 20,000 security personnel, including the Border Security Force, were deployed across the city, while 57 metro stations were closed and several train services cancelled.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of acting out of fear by locking down the capital to prevent peaceful demonstrations.

Despite the restrictions, a ten-member opposition delegation managed to march to Rashtrapati Bhavan to submit a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu. The delegation included senior figures such as Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Omar Abdullah.

Addressing opposition MPs in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi described the struggle as a fundamental fight for democracy.

"If we continue to push the way we have in the last three-four days, I guarantee this government will fall," Gandhi said. He criticized the Chief Election Commissioner, calling him a "service provider" who has refused to meet elected representatives.

The row over 13 crore deleted votes

At the heart of the protests is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The INDIA bloc and local opposition groups, including the Cockroach Janta Party, allege that more than 13 crore names were deleted during the draft-roll stage of the revision, specifically targeting minorities, Dalits, the poor, and voters likely to support the opposition.

Tensions within the poll body itself have added fuel to the fire. Reports suggest that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised internal objections over voter additions, deletions, and administrative anomalies in the electoral software.

The Election Commission's defence

The Election Commission has strongly rejected any claims of an institutional breakdown or systematic bias.

The poll body stated that 13.39 crore electors had been flagged under standard administrative categories, namely voters who were absent, shifted, deceased, or duplicate entries. It maintained that all decisions regarding the SIR exercise were unanimous, followed thorough verification, and complied with established protocols.

Protests spread across states

The agitation is already spreading beyond the national capital. In Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh Congress president Y.S. Sharmila led an all-party meeting of INDIA bloc constituents, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of turning the commission into a "puppet".

Left party leaders, including V. Srinivasa Rao of the CPI(M) and Akkineni Vanaja of the CPI, joined the agitation, calling on students and young people to hit the streets to protect electoral transparency.