Karnataka CM Shivakumar: No choice but to meet CJI as EC stays silent
Synopsis
With the Election Commission silent and the Prime Minister unresponsive, Karnataka CM D.K. Shivakumar says the INDIA bloc had no choice but to approach the Chief Justice of India — even after being denied an appointment. The Congress has mobilised 200 Karnataka legislators in New Delhi, demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over the alleged deletion of 13 crore voters from electoral rolls.
Key Takeaways
Shivakumar declared on 12 October 2026 that meeting the Chief Justice of India was the only remaining option after the Election Commission failed to respond.
The INDIA bloc was reportedly denied an appointment by the CJI , but Shivakumar argued all democratic avenues must be exhausted.
Around 200 Karnataka Congress MLAs, MLCs and leaders marched to the Supreme Court in New Delhi under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi .
The opposition demands the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged deletion of 13 crore eligible voters from electoral rolls.
Karnataka Congress President B.K.
Hariprasad said the issue goes beyond one individual and concerns the constitutional right to vote nationwide.
Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Monday, 12 October 2026, declared that meeting the Chief Justice of India (CJI) was the only remaining recourse to protect democracy and citizens' voting rights, after the Election Commission of India (ECI) failed to respond to opposition representations. Shivakumar made the remarks during a media interaction in Chennai, even as nearly 200 Congress legislators and leaders from Karnataka converged on New Delhi for a protest march to the Supreme Court.
What Shivakumar Said
Responding to questions about the opposition's outreach to the top judiciary, the Chief Minister was unequivocal. 'When the Election Commission does not respond despite meeting it, the Prime Minister should have called us and asked what the problem was. In such a situation, there is no option but to meet the Chief Justice,' he said.
When asked about the CJI reportedly declining an appointment to the INDIA bloc leaders, Shivakumar argued that public representatives must exhaust every available democratic channel. 'In public life, we make use of all opportunities to try to protect the country's democracy and the voting rights of all its citizens,' he added.
Shivakumar also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have proactively engaged the opposition when the EC did not act on their grievances, saying the PM should have invited opposition leaders to understand their concerns.
The Core Demand: Removal of Chief Election Commissioner
The protest march to the Supreme Court on Monday was held under the leadership of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls. The opposition has alleged that eligible voters — reportedly numbering as many as 13 crore — have been removed from voter lists across the country.
Karnataka Congress President B.K. Hariprasad, speaking in Delhi, underscored that the agitation went beyond a single individual. 'The issue is not limited to demanding the removal of Gyanesh Kumar but concerns the alleged exclusion of 13 crore eligible voters from electoral rolls across the country,' he said.
Opposition's Broader Allegations
Karnataka Congress leaders alleged that the Election Commission was functioning in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and accused the Centre of repeatedly ignoring memorandums and requests for action. The party framed the march as a constitutional duty, with Shivakumar describing the right to vote as fundamental to life itself.
'The right to vote is our right to life. It is our life. Opposition leaders are functioning as the voice of the people of the country. Anything can happen in a democracy,' Shivakumar said.
Scale of the Delhi Mobilisation
Around 200 Congress Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs), and party leaders from Karnataka travelled to New Delhi to participate in the protest. The mobilisation signals the Indian National Congress's intent to sustain pressure on electoral integrity issues ahead of upcoming state and national electoral cycles.
With the CJI yet to confirm an appointment and the Election Commission silent on opposition grievances, the standoff over voter-roll irregularities is set to intensify in the days ahead.
Point of View
Designed to shift the battleground from the executive to the judiciary when the political route yields no response. The allegation of 13 crore voters being removed from rolls is extraordinary in scale; if even partially verified, it would represent a systemic threat to electoral integrity, not a procedural glitch. Yet the opposition's approach — high-decibel marches rather than filing specific, verifiable complaints — risks being read as political theatre unless backed by granular, district-level data. The CJI declining an appointment, if confirmed, also signals judicial restraint about being drawn into pre-election political disputes, a boundary the opposition must navigate carefully if it wants the judiciary's credibility to serve its cause.
NationPress
12 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Karnataka CM Shivakumar say the opposition must meet the Chief Justice of India?
Shivakumar said meeting the Chief Justice of India was the only remaining option because the Election Commission failed to respond to repeated opposition representations and the Prime Minister did not engage opposition leaders on their concerns. He argued that in a democracy, public representatives must use every available avenue to protect citizens' voting rights.
What is the Congress demanding from the Election Commission?
The Congress is demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls, specifically the alleged removal of approximately 13 crore eligible voters from voter lists across the country. The party has also accused the Election Commission of acting in favour of the BJP.
Who led the protest march to the Supreme Court on 12 October 2026?
The protest march to the Supreme Court in New Delhi was led by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. Around 200 Congress MLAs, MLCs, and party leaders from Karnataka participated in the march.
Did the Chief Justice of India agree to meet the INDIA bloc leaders?
According to reports, the Chief Justice of India denied an appointment to the INDIA bloc leaders. Shivakumar acknowledged this but maintained that opposition leaders must persist in seeking every available democratic channel to protect voting rights.
What is the scale of the alleged voter list irregularities cited by the Congress?
Karnataka Congress President B.K. Hariprasad alleged that approximately 13 crore eligible voters have been removed from electoral rolls across India. He stated the issue was not limited to the removal of a single official but concerned the broader constitutional right to vote for millions of citizens.
