A constitutional body under fire, a nationwide agitation in the works, and a chief minister adding his voice to the charge — Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, threw his weight behind Congress's escalating campaign against the Election Commission of India, citing what the party calls serious irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of electoral rolls.

The SIR controversy at the heart of the campaign

In his post, CM Sukhu stated that 'irregularities found in SIR by bypassing rules and established procedures is in itself a serious matter.' The SIR — a periodic exercise conducted by the Election Commission to update and verify voter lists — has become a flashpoint for the opposition, which alleges that due process was sidelined during its execution. The specific nature of the alleged irregularities remains a matter of ongoing dispute, with no formal Election Commission clarification issued as yet.

Sukhu was careful to frame the issue not merely as a party grievance but as a democratic one. 'Congress is the main opposition party and the largest opposition party,' he wrote, arguing that taking a peaceful agitation to the public against wrongdoing is a fundamental democratic right.

Rahul Gandhi's long-running challenge to the Commission

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has held multiple press conferences questioning the Election Commission's functioning — a pattern the party says stretches back at least to 2019. Sukhu's post explicitly credits Gandhi with directing the party's current nationwide strategy, describing the agitation as being carried out 'under the democratic right, on the direction of Rahul Gandhi ji.' That framing is deliberate: it positions Gandhi not just as a critic but as the operational architect of a structured resistance movement.

Congress's argument is structural. As the principal opposition in a parliamentary democracy, the party contends it has both the standing and the obligation to challenge what it sees as institutional lapses in the body that oversees elections themselves.

Congress prepares a nationwide agitation

The post signals that what has so far been a press-conference-level critique is about to shift into street-level politics. Sukhu wrote that 'Congress party is preparing to launch a widespread agitation on this issue' — suggesting coordinated protests across states, potentially involving regional Congress units and allied groups. Whether that agitation takes the form of rallies, sit-ins, or formal delegations to the Election Commission remains to be announced.

The broader pattern is familiar: opposition-led campaigns asserting the right to peaceful protest against alleged institutional lapses have periodically surfaced since at least 2019, each time testing the boundaries of electoral transparency debates in India. This round, however, carries added weight — it comes with explicit CM-level endorsement and a named nationwide rollout.

The Election Commission's response, and whether Congress can sustain momentum across states where it is not in power, will determine whether this becomes a defining opposition moment — or another salvo absorbed by the news cycle.