Congress protests nationwide, demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar's arrest over 'vote chori'
Synopsis
Congress took its 'vote chori' campaign off the rally ground and onto the streets on Friday, with nationwide protests demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar's arrest and the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision process. Senior leaders were detained, water cannons deployed, and the party explicitly compared this to the pressure campaign that led to a cabinet minister's resignation — signalling this is not a one-day demonstration.
Key Takeaways
Congress held nationwide protests on 25 September 2026 demanding the resignation and arrest of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over 'vote chori' allegations.
Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi and Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring were among the leaders detained during the demonstrations.
Water cannons were deployed against protesters in Chandigarh , Patna , and other cities.
The protests were fuelled partly by a media report citing internal differences within the ECI over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls.
Punjab Congress alleged 20 lakh votes had been deleted in the state under the SIR process and demanded its cancellation.
The party invoked the 'Vote Chor Gaddi Chhodo' rally at Ramlila Maidan on 14 December as evidence of a sustained campaign led by Rahul Gandhi .
The Indian National Congress on Friday, 25 September 2026, staged nationwide demonstrations demanding the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged 'vote chori' (vote theft), with party leaders asserting the agitation would continue until concrete action is taken. The protests, which drew participation from multiple states, were triggered in part by a media report alleging internal differences within the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Key Developments Across States
Several senior Congress leaders were detained during the agitation. Assam Congress chief and MP Gaurav Gogoi was detained in Guwahati while attempting to breach police barricades, and Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring was detained in Chandigarh as workers tried to 'gherao' the Election Commission office there. Security forces deployed water cannons to disperse protesters in multiple cities including Chandigarh and Patna.
In Patna, Congress workers led by Bihar President Rajesh Ram marched towards the Election Commission office but were stopped by police barricades near the Secretariat. A heated scuffle broke out as workers attempted to break through, prompting the use of water cannons. One protester alleged a 'lathi charge' took place, though this could not be independently verified. Purnia MP Pappu Yadav also joined the Patna protest, alleging the Commission had 'committed an injustice against 13 crore people in Bengal, Bihar and Assam.'
In New Delhi, the Youth Congress held a march calling for Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav said: 'The demand is clear that Gyanesh Kumar must be arrested because he has murdered democracy. The essence of a democracy is lost when votes are stolen.'
What Congress Leaders Said
Mahila Congress President Alka Lamba invoked the 'Vote Chor Gaddi Chhodo' rally held at Ramlila Maidan on 14 December as the backdrop to Friday's protests, noting that Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had been raising the vote-theft issue for months. She demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi seek the CEC's resignation and that 'illegal decisions taken by him must be stopped and reversed.'
Punjab Congress President Warring specifically cited the SIR process, alleging that '20 lakh votes have been deleted in Punjab' and demanding its cancellation. 'Our demand is that SIR should be cancelled and voting should take place without it,' he told reporters while being detained.
Congress Chandigarh President H.S. Lucky drew a parallel with former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, asserting: 'This protest will continue until Gyanesh Kumar resigns, just as Dharmendra Pradhan did.'
Protests in Other States
In Bhubaneswar, Odisha Congress President Bhakta Charan Das led a march, claiming vote theft had 'now been proved.' Congress workers also protested outside the Election Commission office in Shimla, where Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajni Patil warned that electoral irregularities, if left unchecked, could 'totally destroy the Constitution.' Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat participated in protests in Dehradun, while Congress state in-charge Kumari Selja declared the Commission was 'not functioning in the manner it should' and lacked impartiality.
Background and Context
The protests come amid a charged political atmosphere around electoral roll management. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process — a periodic exercise to update voter rolls — has drawn criticism from opposition parties who allege it is being used to disenfranchise voters in certain regions. The Congress had earlier organised the 'Vote Chor Gaddi Chhodo' rally at Ramlila Maidan, signalling a sustained campaign on the issue. Notably, internal discord within the ECI over the SIR — reported in the media — gave fresh momentum to the opposition's allegations ahead of Friday's demonstrations.
The Election Commission of India and the government had not issued an official response to Friday's protests at the time of reporting. How the Centre responds — and whether any formal review of the SIR process is considered — will likely shape the trajectory of this political confrontation in the weeks ahead.
Point of View
Not just airtime. What mainstream coverage risks missing is the specificity of the Punjab allegation — 20 lakh deleted votes is a falsifiable claim that the Election Commission has not yet publicly rebutted, and the credibility of that number will determine whether this campaign gains or loses oxygen. The deeper structural question — whether the SIR process as designed allows for political manipulation or merely looks that way — demands an independent audit that neither the ruling party nor the opposition has formally called for.
NationPress
26 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Congress demanding the arrest of CEC Gyanesh Kumar?
Congress alleges that CEC Gyanesh Kumar has overseen the theft of votes through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which the party claims has resulted in mass deletions of legitimate voters. The party has been building this campaign for months, citing a media report about internal ECI disagreements over SIR as fresh evidence of wrongdoing.
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) that Congress is protesting against?
The Special Intensive Revision is a periodic process conducted by the Election Commission of India to update and clean up voter rolls. Congress argues the current iteration is being used to illegitimately delete voter names, particularly in states like Punjab, Bihar, and West Bengal, and has demanded its cancellation.
Which Congress leaders were detained during the protests on 25 September?
Among those detained were Assam Congress chief and MP Gaurav Gogoi, who was detained in Guwahati, and Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who was detained in Chandigarh while workers attempted to gherao the Election Commission office. Several other leaders and workers were also detained across multiple states.
How has the Election Commission responded to Congress's allegations?
As of the time of reporting on 25 September, the Election Commission of India had not issued an official public response to Friday's protests or to the specific allegations of vote deletions. The government similarly had not commented.
Is this the first time Congress has raised vote theft allegations?
No. Congress, led prominently by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, has been raising vote theft allegations for several months. The party held a major 'Vote Chor Gaddi Chhodo' rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on 14 December, and leaders describe Friday's nationwide protests as a continuation and escalation of that campaign.
