Karnataka Congress protests at Freedom Park, demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation
Synopsis
Karnataka Congress turned up the heat on the Election Commission at Bengaluru's Freedom Park on Saturday, demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation and alleging over one crore voters were wiped off Karnataka's electoral rolls. With district-level protests set to intensify from Monday, the party is betting that a national narrative on electoral fairness can cut through ahead of the next round of state polls.
Key Takeaways
Karnataka Congress held a protest at Freedom Park, Bengaluru on 26 September 2026 , demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar .
Hariprasad alleged over one crore voters were removed from Karnataka's electoral rolls — a claim that was not independently verified.
Former Chief Ministers Siddaramaiah and Veerappa Moily attended the protest alongside senior party leaders.
Congress criticised the 2023 law on CEC appointment, citing removal of the Chief Justice of India from the selection panel.
The Election Commission maintained that electoral-roll revision follows the prescribed statutory framework.
Party workers have been directed to escalate protests at district headquarters from Monday .
Karnataka Congress leaders and workers on Saturday, 26 September 2026, staged a large-scale demonstration at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and alleging that the Election Commission of India (ECI) was misusing its constitutional authority to exclude eligible voters from electoral rolls.
Who Led the Protest
The agitation was spearheaded by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President B.K. Hariprasad and drew prominent attendance, including former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, former Chief Minister and Union Minister Veerappa Moily, All India Congress Committee (AICC) Secretary Gopinath Palaniyappan, and several senior party leaders. Hariprasad described the protest as an effort to safeguard the Constitution and democratic values, framing it as part of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's broader nationwide campaign against alleged electoral irregularities.
Key Allegations Against the ECI
Addressing the gathering, Hariprasad alleged that eligible voters had been systematically removed from electoral rolls across multiple states following the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s return to power in 2024. He specifically cited alleged large-scale exclusions in Bihar and West Bengal, and claimed similar exercises had affected voters in Haryana, Maharashtra, and other states. These figures and allegations, as presented by Hariprasad, were not independently verified.
On Karnataka specifically, he claimed that over one crore voters had been removed from electoral rolls in the state, while lakhs of entries had been classified as fake or placed under other categories. 'The electoral roll is the foundation of democracy. Every citizen has a constitutional right to vote and elect a government once every five years,' Hariprasad said, alleging that attempts were being made to weaken that foundation.
Institutional Concerns Raised
The KPCC chief went further, alleging that the other two Election Commissioners — Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, according to the Commission's official website — had on multiple occasions differed with decisions taken by the CEC, but that their views had not been adequately considered. He also criticised the 2023 law governing the appointment of the CEC and Election Commissioners, contending that the removal of the Chief Justice of India from the selection panel had weakened institutional checks and balances.
ECI's Position and What Happens Next
The Election Commission has maintained that decisions related to electoral-roll revision and other electoral processes are conducted in accordance with the prescribed statutory framework. The Commission has not separately addressed the specific claims made at the protest. Hariprasad warned that the agitation would continue until Gyanesh Kumar stepped down, and called upon party workers to intensify the campaign at district headquarters from Monday. He also urged younger voters, including members of Gen Z, to remain vigilant about protecting their voting rights.
This protest is part of a pattern of escalating Congress opposition to the current ECI leadership, and comes as the party seeks to build a national narrative around electoral fairness ahead of upcoming state elections.
Point of View
But the evidentiary bar for the party's core claim — that over one crore voters were purged from Karnataka's rolls — remains uncleared. Voter-roll revision is a routine statutory exercise, yet the optics of deletions spiking in states where opposition parties are in contention deserve serious scrutiny, not dismissal. The 2023 amendment removing the Chief Justice from the CEC selection panel remains a live constitutional question; the Supreme Court's own observations on that law are more consequential than any street protest. Congress's risk is that a protest-led campaign on an institutional question can be reframed by the BJP as partisan noise — unless hard data on deletions, ward by ward, is placed on the public record.
NationPress
26 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Karnataka Congress protest at Freedom Park on 26 September?
Karnataka Congress staged the protest to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the Election Commission of India was misusing its constitutional authority and removing eligible voters from electoral rolls across multiple states, including Karnataka.
What specific claims did KPCC President B.K. Hariprasad make?
Hariprasad alleged that over one crore voters had been removed from Karnataka's electoral rolls and that similar deletions had occurred in Bihar, West Bengal, Haryana, and Maharashtra. He also alleged that the two other Election Commissioners had differed with the CEC's decisions but were overruled. These claims were not independently verified.
What is Congress's objection to the 2023 Election Commission appointment law?
Congress argues that the 2023 law weakened institutional checks by removing the Chief Justice of India from the panel that selects the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, concentrating appointment power in the executive branch.
What has the Election Commission said in response?
The Election Commission has maintained that all decisions related to electoral-roll revision and electoral processes are conducted in accordance with the prescribed statutory framework. It has not specifically addressed the claims raised at Saturday's protest.
What happens next in the Congress protest campaign?
KPCC President Hariprasad has called on party workers to intensify the agitation at district headquarters across Karnataka starting Monday. The protest is described as part of a broader nationwide campaign backed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against alleged electoral irregularities.
