Opposition marches to EC, BJD joins protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Opposition parties, joined by the BJD, marched to the Election Commission headquarters, demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged widespread irregularities, procedural changes to Form 6, and massive voter roll cuts across the nation.

As opposition MPs started arriving in Parliament ahead of a planned march to the poll panel’s headquarters, opposition parties staged a massive protest march toward the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday. The demonstrations drew sharp rebukes from across the nation, targeting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged widespread irregularities and procedural changes governing voter deletions and Form 6.

BJD Joins Agitation, Alleges Systemic Corruption

Weighing in on the protests, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Sulata Deo announced her party's decision to join the opposition-led agitation, citing systemic failures and massive voter roll cuts in Odisha and nationwide. “Look, our leader Naveen Patnaik's stance is very clear. He has stated that we are neither with the INDIA alliance nor with the NDA. We are a responsible political party, and as such, it's our right to speak up for our people. What Gyanesh Kumar and the CEC did is a complete murder of the republic, democracy, and everything it stands for,” she said.

She added, “Gyanesh Kumar, you must know that a few days ago, a letter from his office was found with the official seal of the Bharatiya Janata Party. That's when everyone should have realised that it's not just a few bad apples; the entire system is corrupt. This whole SIR process of who to cut and who to add- just look at our own Odisha..”

Deo pointed to massive data discrepancies during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, claiming millions of names were arbitrarily excised under external pressure. She said, “27 lakh 50 thousand voters were cut, and look, 13 crore people have been cut across the whole country. Who told them to cut these names? It shows that orders were coming straight from the BJP office, and they were just following and signing off on them. That's how it came to light, right? They used letterheads from the party office bearing the lotus symbol, and look, our whole.”

She added, There's so much corruption there and so much rigging that you wouldn't even believe it. We kept going to Gyanesh Kumar over and over. Ask Amar Patnaik ji, who joined the Bharatiya Party—he'll tell you exactly how the votes were rigged. Because of this, we're taking action here. And look over there—our state's election commissioner, Sanat Gopalan, was put under so much pressure that he also applied for VRS today. What is going on? The Biju Janata Dal will join today's protest against this on behalf of the people. We have always been for the people, we are for the people, and we will always be for the people. On whose orders was Form 6 issued, and how many people does it affect?”

INDIA Bloc Leaders Demand CEC's Resignation

Senior opposition figures echoed similar demands for accountability outside Nirvachan Sadan. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut criticized heavy security deployments surrounding the election office, questioning the administration's intent. He said, “Govt is scared of the MPs that’s why so much police deployment around election commission. They want to stop us, is this democracy? They are only killing democracy, Rahul Gandhi is leading this protest. SC clearly mentioned that there was no approval on change in Form 6. CEC Gyanesh Kumar only changed on his own wish. Gyanesh Kumar has no right to remain the CEC”

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee launched an aggressive tirade against the poll machinery, demanding immediate resignations. "I have come here for the protest. 'Vote chor' Gyanesh must resign. He should go first; others will follow...They have indulged in 'vote chori', that is how Narendra Modi won the 2024 elections. That is how they won Haryana, Maharashtra, Bihar and Bengal. Everyone knows how they came to power through 'vote chori," Kalyan Banerjee said.

Ahead of the INDIA bloc march to the Election Commission on Tuesday, RJD MP Manoj Jha and CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar stepped up criticism of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing the Supreme Court's recent observation that it had not approved modifications made to Form 6.

Jha said the Supreme Court's observation raised questions over the need for any further preparation and alleged that free and fair elections were not possible under Gyanesh Kumar's chairmanship. “Yesterday, the Honourable Supreme Court said that we had not even approved Form 6. It also said that all unilateral decisions should be annulled. So, is there any preparation left?” Jha said.

Congress MP Jebi Mather said, "Our primary demand is that Gyanesh Kumar should resign. He cannot continue as the Election Commissioner of India with this kind of destroying the election system, destroying democracy. It is clearly understood by the citizens, by the country how he is manipulating things to suit the BJP's agenda. So, Gyanesh Kumar will have to resign - is our most important demand. Also the way the election system, the unfairness - all these we are putting before in this protest..."

Protest Part of 'Save Democracy' Campaign

Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties will participate in the march and raise their concerns before the Election Commission (EC). The protest is part of a broader "Save Democracy" campaign announced by the Opposition, under which its leaders have been holding demonstrations and public programmes against the EC.

The march to Nirvachan Sadan is expected to further intensify the political confrontation between the Opposition and the poll panel over electoral roll-related issues. The Supreme Court's observation gives the INDIA bloc a boost ahead of the march. (ANI)

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