Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and multiple members of parliament staged a demonstration in Delhi on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over his handling of electoral roll revisions. The protest resulted in police detaining Gandhi and other lawmakers, with videos showing officers forcibly removing Gandhi from a bus during the operation. The demonstration marked an escalation in tensions between opposition parties and India’s election authorities.
Opposition parties have accused Kumar of improperly revising voter rolls to benefit the governing Bharatiya Janata Party, allegations that both the BJP and the Election Commission have denied. Gandhi stated that opposition MPs simply wanted to meet with election commissioners to discuss the voter roll revision process. The Election Commission indicated willingness to meet opposition representatives but objected to the proposed 237-member delegation and insisted meetings occur at the commission’s office rather than parliament.
The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls began in Bihar in June 2025 before expanding nationwide, with over 130 million names removed from draft voter lists. Opposition parties and activists contend that many eligible voters have been improperly excluded. The controversy intensified following an Indian Express investigation revealing that two election commissioners had formally objected at least 14 times over a 10-month period to decisions allegedly made without their knowledge, concerning voter roll modifications, database access, and electoral data security.
Congress leadership has outlined three demands: Kumar’s resignation, cancellation of the revision exercise, and a return to paper ballot voting. The BJP characterized the protests as sponsored attempts to undermine constitutional institutions through anarchy. The matter has also reached India’s Supreme Court, which requested responses from the federal government and Election Commission regarding allegations that Kumar made key decisions without co-commissioner approval. A police complaint was also filed against the Gandhis for entering a broadcasting facility without permission.
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