Rahul Gandhi Leads Fresh Anti-CEC Protest, Demands Gyanesh Kumar’s Resignation

NEW DELHI, Oct 7: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday led INDIA bloc MPs in another protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, as opposition leaders attempted to march towards Jantar Mantar but were stopped by police.

The protest began after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hosted INDIA bloc MPs for lunch at a restaurant on Janpath. After the meeting, opposition leaders boarded three buses and headed towards the designated protest site.

The procession, however, was stopped by a multi layered security cordon near the Shangri-La hotel on Ashoka Road, around a kilometre into the journey. Police cited the enforcement of prohibitory orders under BNS Section 163 and prevented the leaders from proceeding further.

Rahul Gandhi and several other opposition leaders resisted the police action. Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were subsequently detained and taken away in police vehicles.

Speaking before the procession, Gandhi said the opposition wanted to demonstrate at Jantar Mantar and raise concerns over the electoral process. He alleged that the Election Commission had refused to meet a large group of MPs who wanted to discuss their concerns.

“We are not going to stop protesting till Gyanesh Kumar resigns,” Gandhi said, asserting that the movement was aimed at protecting citizens’ rights.

The protest witnessed dramatic scenes when Priyanka Gandhi and several women leaders sat and later lay on the road while holding copies of the Constitution. Opposition MPs raised slogans calling for the CEC’s resignation as security personnel attempted to clear the area.

Several Congress leaders, including Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Udai Bhanu Chib, climbed onto the bus carrying the senior leadership. Mumtaz Patel was also seen sitting on the bonnet of the vehicle.

The Congress later claimed that the bus carrying Rahul Gandhi was punctured near Agrasen Ki Baoli while the detained leaders were being taken away.

Leaders from the Congress, Trinamool Congress, CPI(M), CPI, RJD, IUML and other parties participated in the demonstration. The Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP-SP were not represented at the lunch meeting, with the Congress saying some allies could not attend because of the short notice and prior engagements.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said all INDIA bloc parties had been invited and maintained that opposition parties remained united on issues including alleged “vote theft”, the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and delimitation.

Kharge accused the Election Commission of making mistakes and alleged that the government was responsible for them. He said opposition parties would continue raising what they described as threats to people’s electoral rights.

On the cases registered against Congress leaders, including Gandhi, Kharge said the party would not be intimidated by police action.

Gandhi, meanwhile, said he had faced numerous FIRs and indicated that he would continue participating in protests despite legal cases.

The latest demonstration came a day after INDIA bloc MPs marched from Parliament towards the Election Commission, followed by Gandhi’s sit-in at Akashvani Bhawan.

The opposition protests have intensified following allegations surrounding the Special Intensive Revision exercise and claims of irregularities in the electoral process. The Congress and its allies have demanded accountability from the Election Commission and sought Kumar’s resignation.

Authorities, however, have maintained restrictions on demonstrations in areas outside designated protest zones, leading to repeated confrontations between opposition leaders and security personnel.