A crowd filled Freedom Park, Bengaluru, on Thursday, 5 November 2026, as Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah joined a mass protest organised by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) — squarely targeting the Election Commission of India's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

What the Congress is demanding — and why now

The twin demands from the protest are unambiguous: the SIR must be withdrawn immediately, and Gyanesh Kumar must step down. Siddaramaiah framed the moment in constitutional terms, saying, 'This is not merely a question of revising electoral rolls. It is a struggle to protect the Constitution, democracy and the voting rights of every eligible citizen.'

At the heart of the Congress objection is a reported drop in Karnataka's registered voters — from approximately 5.54 crore to about 4.55 crore, a reduction the Chief Minister described as nearly one crore voters. The scale of that figure, if confirmed, would represent one of the largest single-state roll contractions in recent electoral history. Siddaramaiah demanded that the reasons for every deletion be made public and that no genuine voter be stripped of the franchise.

The 2023 appointment law and the CJI's missing seat

Running beneath the protest is a structural grievance that pre-dates the SIR exercise. The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 replaced the Chief Justice of India on the selection committee with a Union Minister — a change opposition parties have argued skews the panel toward the ruling dispensation.

Siddaramaiah noted that even after Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, formally objected to Gyanesh Kumar's appointment, the process went ahead regardless. The Congress has consistently challenged the 2023 Act as an erosion of the Commission's constitutionally mandated independence.

Dissent inside the Commission — the written objections

The Chief Minister also pointed to what he described as internal fractures within the Election Commission itself. He cited an investigative report claiming that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had filed written objections on at least 14 occasions over the past 10 months — covering voter registration, name additions and deletions, data management, and decisions allegedly taken without their knowledge. NationPress could not independently verify this figure from established public record.

That reported internal dissent, Siddaramaiah argued, demands 'clear and transparent answers' — and reinforces the Congress position that the Commission is not currently functioning with the full independence the Constitution envisages.

Congress pledge to carry the protest to every district and taluk

Siddaramaiah confirmed that the Congress and INDIA alliance will extend the agitation beyond Bengaluru, taking it to district and taluk levels across Karnataka. He characterised the movement as a 'second freedom struggle' to defend the Constitution — and went a step further, expressing his belief that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's political influence is declining and predicting that the BJP will lose the 2029 Lok Sabha election.

The Election Commission of India has not yet issued a public response to the specific Karnataka voter-deletion figures or to the claims of internal dissent. Any official clarification — or a legal challenge to the SIR process — will be watched closely as the Congress signals this is a sustained, not a one-day, campaign.

One crore names on the line. That is the number this protest will be judged by.