2026 anti-CEC protests

Gyanesh Kumar, a retired 1988-batch Indian Administrative Service officer of the Kerala cadre, became the 26th Chief Election Commissioner of India on 19 February 2025. He had been appointed an election commissioner in March 2024.^[6] He was the first chief election commissioner appointed under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023. The other members of the three-member Election Commission during the controversy were Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

The 2025–2026 Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls began in Bihar in June 2025 and was subsequently extended to other states. The exercise was intended to verify and update electoral rolls. Reporting on the revisions published in September 2026 stated that more than 71% of the names deleted up to that point had been classified under the category "absent, shifted or others".^[7] Opposition parties criticised the deletions, describing them as "vote theft" and alleging that eligible voters had been excluded. The Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) maintained that the exercise was intended to remove duplicate, deceased and otherwise ineligible entries.^[4][8]

On 23 September 2026, an investigation by The Indian Express, subsequently reported by The Times of India, described at least 14 objections raised over 10 months by election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi concerning decisions related to the SIR.^[9] According to the reporting, the objections concerned changes to Form 6, the centralisation of electoral-roll databases through ECINet and ERONET, the restoration of eligible voters, and the handling of appeals, including reports of numerous appeals filed through a single login in West Bengal. The investigation also reported concerns that some decisions had been issued without the concurrence of the full Commission.

The ECI responded that the commissioners' queries and suggestions concerned operational matters at the draft stage and formed part of normal administrative practice. It maintained that the final decisions relating to the SIR were taken unanimously.^[10]

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and opposition parties subsequently demanded Kumar's resignation and called for the cancellation or suspension of the SIR. Other demands included restoring electoral rolls predating the revision, an independent inquiry into the process, a return to paper-ballot voting and repeal of the 2023 appointment law. The Congress demanded Kumar's resignation, cancellation of the SIR and a return to paper ballots, while the CJP also called for a temporary suspension of upcoming elections and criminal proceedings against him.^[11][12][13] The BJP characterised the demonstrations as politically motivated, while opposition leaders argued that the revision threatened voting rights and electoral fairness.

On 24 September 2026, the Cockroach Janta Party, gave Gyanesh 48 hours to resign as CEC and threatened nationwide protests. Its demands included Gyanesh's resignation, criminal proceedings against him, a freeze on upcoming assembly elections and the rollback of the SIR.^[14][15][16]

On 25 September, the Indian National Congress organised protests in several states demanding Kumar's resignation; some demonstrators and party leaders also called for his arrest. Police used tear gas and water cannons in locations including Chandigarh, Chennai, Patna and Lucknow, while tear-gas shells were reported in Imphal.^[17][5] Demonstrators were detained in several states. In Assam, state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi was detained during a protest.^[18] Reuters reported demonstrations in at least a dozen states. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Commission of vote theft, while the BJP characterised the campaign as a reaction to electoral defeat.^[19][20]

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke organized protests on 2 October, in recognition of Gandhi Jayanti, at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, and Shivaji Park, Mumbai following a 'Jail Bharo Andolan' strategy where protestors let themselves be arrested, since permission to organize protests at both locations was denied by police authorities.^[21][22] CJP organized the protest at Shivaji park despite strict legal restrictions under Bombay High Court rulings limit non-sporting and political gatherings at the ground to protect its status as a residential neighborhood and sports complex.^[23][24] Following successful conduction of the protests, CJP announced a second phase of protests, called "Protest 2.0" (referring to a different protest) starting from October 10.^[25][26]

On 4 October, the All India Students' Association (AISA) led a march in Delhi towards Jantar Mantar that was stopped by police barricades on Ashoka Road. Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, including participation by other political parties, also organized a march in Mumbai demanding SIR to be scrapped and return to paper ballots, "Virat Garjana Morcha" from Metro Cinema to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters in Mumbai attended by nearly 6000 people.^[27][28] The Hindu reported that nearly 500 people were detained on 4 October in Delhi, while other reporting gave a lower figure of approximately 110 for detentions associated with the day's clashes including AISA national president, Neha Bora. Reports also said that 12 to 15 police personnel were injured. A woman journalist covering an earlier protest alleged that a police officer had sexually harassed and manhandled her; opposition leaders criticised the reported treatment of women journalists.^[27][29][28]

On 5 October, the Supreme Court of India declined to grant an interim order suspending Kumar and issued notice to the ECI and other respondents on petitions challenging the decision-making process relating to the SIR.^[30][31]

From 2 to 8 October, the INDIA bloc conducted a series of protests including district-level marches and a march by opposition members of parliament to the ECI on 6 October with a proposed meeting with President Droupadi Murmu demanding Gyanesh's resignation, the use of pre-SIR electoral rolls, a return to paper ballots and an appeal process for voters excluded from the rolls. Those attending the meeting included Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee.^[32][33] Key leaders organizing the protests were briefly detained.^{[citation needed]}

On 8 October, CJP organised a demonstration at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Participants included Dipke, co-conveners Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, actor-activist Prakash Raj, digital commentator Dhruv Rathee and civil-society representatives. The event included a "People's Tribunal" at which participants described alleged errors in electoral databases and exclusions from the rolls. Organisers demanded that the SIR be scrapped and Kumar resign. The demonstration also featured "chappal protest", a protest involving footwear directed at effigies or posters of the ECI and the CEC.^[34][35][36]

• 2026 Delhi Jantar Mantar protests
• Electronic voting in India
• 2026 Indian electoral controversy
• 2026 Mumbai Shivaji Park protests
• Asian Spring