'Gyanesh it's done bro': Opposition MPs march to ECI HQ demanding CEC's resignation

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra entered the Akashvani Bhawan premises on Tuesday as opposition MPs marched towards the Election Commission of India headquarters demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.

Leaders of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, along with several INDIA bloc MPs, had marched from the Parliament House complex towards the Election Commission. Police stopped them on Parliament Street, near the stretch between the NITI Aayog office and Akashvani Bhawan leading to the EC headquarters. After being prevented from proceeding further, the MPs sat on the road and staged a dharna. They carried cutouts depicting Kumar in an RSS uniform and raised slogans including “BJP hai CEC hai”, “Vote chor, gaddi chhod” and “Democracy not for sale”.

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi said, “Gyanesh it's done bro. Time to resign.”

TMC leaders Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O'Brien, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and CPM leader John Brittas were among those who took part in the march.

Heavy security deployment and barricading had been put in place around Parliament and the Election Commission headquarters ahead of the protest. Security personnel were stationed in the area well before the MPs began arriving.

The opposition MPs had gathered at Parliament's Makar Dwar before setting off towards Nirvachan Sadan, the Election Commission headquarters. Ahead of the march, they questioned the security arrangements and renewed their demand for Kumar's resignation, citing the Supreme Court's observations on changes to Form 6, the statutory application for enrolment as a voter.

Congress MP Imran Masood accused Kumar of eroding public trust in the Election Commission. “Across the country, the institution that Gyanesh Kumar headed was an institution the entire country trusted, an institution the entire country took pride in. Questions were never raised over its impartiality. One person has broken that trust,” he told PTI.
“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 on Monday had strengthened the opposition's objections to the additional declaration attached to Form 6 during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

“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 intensify their agitation.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut also questioned the heavy security deployment, saying the MPs intended to march 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.

The Supreme Court on Monday said it had not approved any modified version of Form 6 and would examine the Election Commission's records to ascertain whether changes had been made and who had authorised them. The observations came while the court was hearing a petition challenging alleged unilateral decisions by Kumar.

In its September 26 statement, the Election Commission 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.

The latest protest is part of the opposition's campaign against alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise and reports of differences within the three-member Election Commission. The poll body has rejected suggestions of a split and maintained that decisions relating to the SIR were taken unanimously.