On Friday, Congress workers held protests across multiple states, including Delhi, Bihar, Assam, Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The demonstrators are calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. These actions reflect growing discontent within the party regarding the electoral process and accountability in the commission’s operations.
In Delhi, party workers gathered at Jantar Mantar, where they raised slogans against Kumar as part of the Congress’s nationwide agitation. In Patna, Congress workers staged a half-kilometre march demanding Kumar’s dismissal and arrest. When protesters attempted to cross police barricades and march towards the Election Commission office, the Chandigarh Police used water cannons to stop them. Congress workers marched towards the poll panel’s office in Patna, raising slogans against Kumar and demanding his resignation. Police used water cannons to stop the protesters from reaching the office. It’s working on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Our party’s stand is clear: CEC Gyanesh Kumar must resign. Similar demonstrations were held in Arunachal Pradesh, where the state Congress staged a protest in Itanagar demanding Kumar’s resignation. The party also held protests in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The Congress has alleged that Gen Z voters were being targeted for exclusion and has pressed for Kumar’s immediate resignation.
The protests come amid allegations by the opposition party that the Election Commission has been “compromised” and its demand that Kumar step down. In Assam, state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and several senior party leaders were detained while attempting to break through police barricades during the protest, police said. Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram said, “It is clear that the EC is compromised.
