Opposition bloc marches to Supreme Court demanding Gyanesh Kumar resign

Thousands of INDIA bloc protesters led by Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra marched towards the Supreme Court in central Delhi on 12 October 2026, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Protesters were stopped on Bhagwan Das Road, about 600 metres from the Supreme Court.keralakaumudi.com

The march matters because it takes the opposition's campaign against the Election Commission directly to the Supreme Court's doorstep, while a petition against the Chief Election Commissioner is filed in the same court. The opposition alleges large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls — changes to who appears on the list of eligible voters.channelnewsasia.com

What the march demanded

The petition filed in the Supreme Court names Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as a respondent and alleges large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls. Petitioners include Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.tbsnews.net

The march began from the Constitution Club, with MPs arriving at the protest site in two buses. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were among those who arrived by bus. Leaders of various INDIA bloc parties also took part. After getting off the buses, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and other MPs joined the protesters and continued the march on foot.

The alliance had decided to turn every point where the police stopped them into a protest venue. The police eventually stopped the march using barricades on Bhagwan Das Road. Defying the restrictions, protesters climbed over the barricades and moved forward. Later, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and other leaders continued their protest from a makeshift stage set up on a truck.

Where the march was stopped

Protesters were stopped on Bhagwan Dass Road, about 600 metres from the Supreme Court, as police and paramilitary personnel were deployed in large numbers and iron barricades were erected to block their route. The march was joined by INDIA bloc leaders, including Kharge, Tejashwi Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

The opposition's legal team filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Chief Election Commissioner, alleging electoral irregularities, even as the protests continued on the streets. The petition alleges large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The petitioners include Mallikarjun Kharge, Saugata Roy, Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition in Parliament, has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He urged the public to join the protest, and his Congress party is also targeting the election commission itself with plans to file a petition against what it calls "vote theft". Thousands of protesters marched through New Delhi calling for Kumar to step down over alleged irregularities in revisions to the voter list.

Opposition parties and supporters of the "cockroach" youth movement have staged protests almost daily in recent days, demanding Kumar's resignation. The protest marks a continuation of the opposition's sustained campaign against the Election Commission. The allegations concern irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, a process of updating who is listed as an eligible voter.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant denied permission for a meeting with leaders, in a setback for the INDIA bloc's protest against the Chief Election Commissioner. Separately, the Supreme Court directed authorities not to detain peaceful, unarmed protesters and sought answers from the Centre and Delhi Police on protest curbs.

The petition against the Chief Election Commissioner is now before the Supreme Court, while the INDIA bloc's protest campaign continues. Opposition parties and supporters of the "cockroach" youth movement have staged protests almost daily in recent days, demanding Kumar's resignation over alleged voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.