Opposition and Youth Groups Protest Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar

Opposition parties and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) launched nationwide protests on October 2, 2026, demanding the resignation or impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstrations center on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which critics allege was weaponized to delete up to 13 crore voters to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party. These accusations follow reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised 14 formal objections to Kumar's decisions over 10 months.

In New Delhi, police detained over 700 people at Jantar Mantar, including Aam Aadmi Party leaders Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj. Authorities implemented Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, suspended mobile internet, and closed 11 to 12 metro stations to block access to the site. In Mumbai, the CJP held a 'Jail Bharo Andolan' at Shivaji Park despite police denying permission. Protests also occurred in Chennai and Srinagar.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed the allegations as a "fake narrative" that had been "busted" by the Election Commissioners. The Election Commission of India denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that all SIR decisions were made unanimously and that the process merely removes duplicate or ineligible voters. To ease tensions, the commission directed officials to register newly eligible and omitted voters. The INDIA bloc plans further district-level marches through October 8 and a march to the Election Commission office on October 6.