Opposition Protests Intensify Against Gyanesh Kumar; SC to Hear Plea Against CEC Next Week

New Delhi: Opposition protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar are intensifying. Left parties and other organisations held protest demonstrations in several states on Monday.

Opposition parties have decided to march to the Election Commission office in Delhi and organise more joint protests. Various opposition parties and youth organisations have taken to the streets over allegations concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and decisions taken by the Election Commission.

On Monday, the Delhi Police deployed a larger-than-usual force during a programme and demonstration organised by the CPI(M) to mark Bhagat Singh's 119th birth anniversary and pledge to protect voting rights. The CPI(M) alleged that the police action was an example of the Sangh Parivar government and its agent Gyanesh Kumar being afraid of Left protests. The CPI(M), CPI and other Left parties, opposition parties and youth organisations are participating in the protests.

CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby had alleged that Gyanesh Kumar did not have the moral right to continue even for a moment as Chief Election Commissioner and was showing arrogance by clinging to office despite being clearly responsible for wrongdoing in the democratic system.

Petitions in Supreme Court

Meanwhile, petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the suspension of Gyanesh Kumar from the post of Chief Election Commissioner. Another petition has sought a declaration that the Chief Election Commissioner cannot take unilateral decisions on matters falling within the collective jurisdiction of the Election Commission. The Supreme Court has listed the petition for consideration next week.

Media reports had said that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections to around 14 decisions said to have been taken in the name of the Commission between October 2025 and August 2026. The objections concerned issues including changes to Form 6, voter registration and handling of voter data. The Election Commission has maintained that decisions related to SIR were taken unanimously.

‘Gyanesh Kumar should face a case’: R K Singh

Former BJP Union minister R K Singh has demanded that a case be registered against Gyanesh Kumar. He alleged that implementing SIR across the country was illegal and that Gyanesh Kumar had violated the law.

Singh alleged that Form 6 had been changed without the required amendment to the rules and pointed out that the other two Election Commissioners had repeatedly recorded their objections. He also raised questions over the procedures related to the deletion of names from electoral rolls.

The resignation of Gyanesh Kumar remains the main demand of the protesting opposition parties. At the same time, the allegations raised by R K Singh and the reliefs sought in the Supreme Court petitions are currently before the court.

Controversy over changes to Form 6

Allegations have also been raised that Form 6 under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, was modified without the required amendment to the rules. The Supreme Court petition has also referred to objections recorded by Joshi and Sandhu over the matter.

Although the Supreme Court has previously addressed the legal validity of SIR, the political controversy over the procedures involved in the revision of electoral rolls continues.