‘Gyanesh, it’s done bro’: INDIA bloc MPs march to EC, demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation

PTIOpposition MPs, including important leaders, protested near Parliament demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over electoral issues.INDIA bloc MPs, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, marched towards the Election Commission on Tuesday demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, but were stopped by police near Parliament Street.The protesters were halted in front of the NITI Aayog office, on the stretch between NITI Aayog and Akashvani Bhavan leading towards the Election Commission headquarters. After being prevented from proceeding further, the MPs sat on the road and staged a dharna.Also Read: Delhi traffic curbs as INDIA bloc marches to ECI; Connaught Place, Parliament Street affectedThe opposition leaders carried cutouts depicting Kumar in an RSS uniform and raised slogans such as “BJP hai CEC hai”, “Vote chor, gaddi chhod” and “Democracy not for sale”.Gandhi, in a post on X, directly targeted the CEC, writing: “Gyanesh it's done bro. Time to resign".Trinamool Congress leaders Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O Brien, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and CPI (M) leader John Brittas were among those who joined the march.The protest came a day after the Supreme Court said it had not approved any modified version of Form 6, the statutory application used for enrolment as a voter. The court said it would examine the Election Commission's records to determine whether changes had been made to the form and who had authorised them.The observations were made while the court was hearing a petition challenging alleged unilateral decisions taken by Kumar.The opposition has seized on the court's remarks to intensify its attack on the CEC and the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.The Election Commission, in a September 26 statement, had said the declaration attached to Form 6 for the SIR exercise had been upheld by the Supreme Court. It had also said that forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, would be used outside the SIR period.Ahead of Tuesday's march, opposition MPs questioned the security arrangements around Parliament and the Election Commission headquarters and renewed their demand for Kumar's resignation.Congress MP Imran Masood accused the CEC of undermining public confidence in the poll panel."Across the country, the institution that Gyanesh Kumar headed was an institution the entire country trusted, an institution the entire country took pride in and felt proud of. Questions were never raised over its impartiality. One person has broken that trust," he told PTI.Also Read: INDIA bloc’s ECI march today: Security stepped up as Opposition targets CEC Gyanesh Kumar"And an entire nexus is working together. We will question Gyanesh Kumar, and the BJP chief ministers will start giving the answers," he alleged.CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar said the Supreme Court's observations had strengthened the opposition's objections to the additional declaration attached to Form 6 during the SIR exercise."On September 26, there was a press statement by the Commission and it was stated that the entire process related to Form 6 has been ratified by the Supreme Court. Whereas it has been proven that it is an entirely misleading statement," he alleged.Calling Kumar a "Cheating Election Commissioner", the CPI leader said opposition parties had been protesting against the provisions since 2025 and would now intensify their agitation.Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut also questioned the heavy security deployment ahead of the march, saying the MPs intended to proceed peacefully."We are MPs. We are members of Parliament. We are also citizens of this country. Why is there a need to deploy such a large force to stop us? We will walk and go. We are unarmed," he said.Raut claimed that Border Security Force and CISF personnel had been deployed and that security outside ministers' residences had also been increased.He accused the CEC of misleading the public about the Supreme Court's position on Form 6 and said Kumar had "no moral right" to continue in office.Heavy security and barricading had been put in place around Parliament and the Election Commission headquarters ahead of the march, with security personnel deployed well before the MPs began arriving.The opposition MPs assembled at Parliament's Makar Dwar before setting off towards Nirvachan Sadan, the Election Commission headquarters.The protest comes against the backdrop of the opposition's wider campaign over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise and reports of differences within the three-member Election Commission. The poll panel has rejected suggestions of a split and maintained that decisions relating to the SIR were taken unanimously.(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onGyanesh Kumar resignationElection Commission protestINDIA bloc MPsSupreme Court rulingForm 6 electoral rollRahul Gandhi oppositionCPI leader protestSpecial Intensive RevisionParliament security arrangementsElection Commission (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onGyanesh Kumar resignationElection Commission protestINDIA bloc MPsSupreme Court rulingForm 6 electoral rollRahul Gandhi oppositionCPI leader protestSpecial Intensive RevisionParliament security arrangementsElection Commission