Why the Opposition wants CEC Gyanesh Kumar to resign — the Delhi protests explained

Key takeaways

• Opposition MPs from 13 parties protested in central Delhi on 6 and 7 October, demanding that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar resign.
• The main issue is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, plus reports that two election commissioners repeatedly recorded written dissent.
• Police detained Rahul Gandhi and other MPs three times in two days. Delhi Police has filed two FIRs naming Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
• The BJP says the SIR removes "infiltrators" from voter lists and accuses the Opposition of creating anarchy.
• More protests are planned, including at Jantar Mantar on 8 October and a separate citizens' protest on 10 October.

What happened on the streets

On Tuesday, 6 October, Opposition MPs planned a march from Parliament House to the Election Commission office. Delhi Police said no permission had been sought or granted. The group ended up in an eight-hour sit-in inside Akashvani Bhawan, next to the Election Commission building, and around 260 people were detained. Police registered an FIR alleging they entered the building without permission.

On Wednesday, 7 October, INDIA bloc leaders met for lunch on Janpath and then boarded buses for Jantar Mantar. Police stopped the buses on the way, and the leaders sat on the road near a roundabout in central Delhi. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other women MPs lay on the road holding a copy of the Constitution. Police carried Rahul Gandhi into a bus; 91 people were detained and released that evening.

On Thursday, 8 October, Delhi Police filed a fresh FIR accusing Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other Congress leaders of assaulting police personnel and obstructing government work during Wednesday's protest. Asked about the cases, Rahul Gandhi said every FIR against him is "a medal for me".

Why the Opposition is angry

There are two main complaints:

1. The SIR of voter rolls. The Opposition says the special revision is being used to strike genuine voters off the rolls. It wants the exercise rolled back and the CEC removed.
2. Dissent inside the Commission. An Indian Express investigation reported that election commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded written dissents and objections at least 14 times between November 2025 and August 2026, and that some officials found their access to Election Commission software curtailed.

Rahul Gandhi says around 300 MPs wanted to meet the election commissioners and were not given a meeting. Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien says the Opposition has also sought a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu to press for Kumar's removal.

What the other side says

• Election Commission: Differing views are a normal part of deliberation, and all its digital platforms follow strict data-security rules. It also said no party had asked for an appointment before 4 pm on Tuesday and called the later request "unusual".
• BJP: Party president Nitin Nabin said attempts to create "anarchy" in Delhi would not succeed, and argued that if infiltrators' names are being removed through the SIR, the Opposition's objections raise questions about its own intentions.
• Delhi Police: Says some personnel, including women officers, were manhandled, and that it is reviewing CCTV, phone and body-camera footage.

Not everyone in the Opposition showed up

The Samajwadi Party skipped Wednesday's protest. Its chief Akhilesh Yadav played down any rift, saying the parties could still sit down together over tea and samosas.

What comes next

• The INDIA bloc says protests will continue until Kumar resigns.
• The Cockroach Janta Party, a separate citizens' group, plans its own protest at Jantar Mantar on 10 October, after a rally in Bengaluru.
• The Supreme Court has agreed to examine a plea asking it to recall its split verdict on whether challenges to the 2023 law on appointing the CEC and election commissioners should go to a larger Constitution bench.

This is a developing story. We will update it as new facts are confirmed.

Your view

Should the CEC step down, or is this political theatre? Tell us in the comments.