New Delhi, Oct. 8 -- The INDIA bloc's protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is continuing in Delhi on Thursday, with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, along with other Opposition MPs, reaching Rajghat after a second lunch meeting in Connaught Place. The leaders are protesting against Kumar and demanding his resignation.
The Opposition's latest demonstration comes after two consecutive days of protests in central Delhi. On Wednesday, nearly 300 Opposition MPs marched from Parliament towards Akashvani Bhavan, where several lawmakers and supporters were detained. Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal and some other leaders managed to enter the Akashvani Bhavan campus and continued their protest.
On Thursday, Rahul Gandhi and Kharge boarded a bus with other INDIA bloc MPs after the second lunch meeting hosted by Kharge. The group subsequently moved through Minto Road and Asaf Ali Marg before heading towards Rajghat.
Congress leaders have said the protest will continue until Gyanesh Kumar resigns. Congress MP Rajeev Shukla said the demonstration had become a wider public movement and would continue until the Chief Election Commissioner steps down.
The Opposition has also sought a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and its concerns regarding the functioning of the Election Commission. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said the first request for a meeting was sent to the Rashtrapati Bhavan on October 2. Mamata Banerjee has also said she will travel to Delhi and meet the President if the alliance receives an appointment.
Security has been intensified across central Delhi amid the demonstrations. Around 5,000 Delhi Police personnel have been deployed, while several roads have been barricaded. Traffic restrictions around Rajghat are in place, with restrictions on buses, including DTC buses, and heavy goods vehicles set to continue until 10 pm on Thursday.
The government has also strengthened Gyanesh Kumar's existing Z+ security cover. Additional personnel have been deployed outside his residence, at the Election Commission office and as part of his personal security following concerns raised by authorities over protests near his residence and his family's house in Agra.
The protests have been taking place amid allegations by Opposition parties concerning the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The controversy intensified after reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on several occasions to decisions and orders related to the exercise. The Election Commission has maintained that decisions of the three-member commission, including those concerning SIR, were taken unanimously.
The protests are not limited to Delhi. The Cockroach Janta Party is holding a demonstration at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Thursday, with actor Prakash Raj and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee among those attending. Protests against Kumar have also been reported in other parts of the country.
Meanwhile, the CJP's October 10 protest in Delhi is also prompting additional security preparations. More than 20,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across the capital ahead of the planned demonstration, according to a senior officer. Delhi authorities are also set to close liquor stores on October 9 and 10.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.