Opposition leaders in Madhya Pradesh staged a statewide protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with party workers marching from Bhopal’s Board Office Square to the Ambedkar statue and similar demonstrations in Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior. State Congress president Jitu Patwari called Kumar a “traitor” and vowed that the protests would continue until he resigned, announcing that one lakh party workers would march to Delhi.
In the national capital, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra paid tribute at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at Rajghat and held a sit‑in protest, demanding the CEC’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Similar rallies took place in Maharashtra, Bihar and Odisha, while in Telangana the INDIA bloc organized a “Save Democracy” rally that saw participation from CPI, CPI(M), MCPI(U) and Telangana Jana Samiti.
Delhi police tightened security around the CEC’s official residence, deploying a Z‑Plus protection detail of at least 32 officers, and increased security at the Election Commission office. FIRs were registered against Samajwadi Party workers in Uttar Pradesh and against Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi for alleged vandalism and protest violations.
Civil‑society groups, farmer bodies and academics joined the opposition, calling for the rollback of the SIR and the resignation of the CEC. A nationwide protest is scheduled for October 10, with organisers urging students, youth and civil‑society members to join the mobilisation in the capital.
