Congress leader says young protesters are exercising constitutional rights as demonstrations over electoral-roll revision lead to detentions in Delhi
New Delhi, October 2026 : Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday backed protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying young people were taking to the streets peacefully to raise concerns over what he described as “vote theft.”
In a post on X on Gandhi Jayanti, Gandhi said protesters were exercising their constitutional rights and reiterated his demand for Kumar’s resignation. He also criticised the detention of demonstrators during protests in Delhi.
The remarks came as opposition parties, student groups and civil society organisations staged demonstrations in Delhi and Mumbai over the functioning of the Election Commission and its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In Delhi, protesters sought to gather around Jantar Mantar, where police had not granted permission for the proposed demonstration. Security was tightened in central Delhi, and hundreds of protesters were detained during the day. The Indian Express reported that AAP leaders including Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj were among those detained.
The demonstrations are linked to opposition concerns over the SIR exercise and allegations that the electoral-roll revision could result in eligible voters being excluded. The Election Commission has maintained that the revision process is being carried out under established procedures, while the controversy has prompted political parties and civil society groups to raise questions over voter verification and the transparency of the exercise. Reuters reported that the ECI has defended the deletions and introduced procedural changes during the ongoing verification process.
Gandhi invoked Mahatma Gandhi’s emphasis on truth and non-violence while defending those taking part in the demonstrations. He alleged that the authorities’ response had included detaining people who were questioning aspects of the electoral process.
The Congress leader also indicated that protests would continue and called for Kumar to step down. His comments represent political assertions by the opposition and do not constitute established findings regarding the Election Commission or the SIR exercise.
The protests on October 2 followed calls by opposition groups, activists and student organisations for demonstrations against the Election Commission’s handling of electoral-roll revision. Further programmes have also been announced by opposition groups in the coming days, including initiatives in Delhi.
The issue is expected to remain a point of political debate as parties continue to raise questions over the SIR process, voter-list verification and the functioning of the Election Commission.
