Opposition Parties Demand Resignation of India's Chief Election Commissioner

The Indian National Congress and other opposition parties, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), launched nationwide protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Protesters in cities such as Hyderabad, Patna, Srinagar, and Lucknow allege that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is an illegal process influenced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to delete voters and steal election mandates.

Congress MP Pawan Khera argued that the SIR is illegal because amendments to Form 6 were not brought to Parliament for approval. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra further accused the Chief Election Commissioner of being unconstitutional and actively propagating specific political parties, stating he needs to resign immediately.

Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party and chief ministers of BJP-governed states defended the Election Commission of India, asserting the SIR process is transparent and Supreme Court-upheld. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accused the opposition of spreading misconceptions to damage constitutional institutions. In response to the turmoil and reports of internal dissents among commissioners, the Election Commission of India extended document submission deadlines in Delhi and Maharashtra and ordered a review of its ECINET portal.