Congress Protest Intensifies Against India’s Chief Election Commissioner
New Delhi, September 28, 2026 —
The demonstration came as Congress and other opposition groups stepped up nationwide protests demanding Kumar’s resignation amid a growing political dispute over the Election Commission’s handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Congress workers and members of affiliated organisations gathered outside Kumar’s residence in Vijay Nagar, Agra, on Monday morning, raising slogans and displaying posters and pamphlets. Some protesters used black spray paint on the main gate and an exterior wall of the house. Images and videos of the incident were subsequently circulated widely on social media.
The Indian Youth Congress also shared footage of the demonstration on its official social media account. The organisation accused Kumar of acting in coordination with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, allegations that have been strongly disputed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and have not been established as facts by an independent finding.
Dispute over electoral-roll revision
The protests follow an escalating political confrontation between the Congress-led opposition and the Election Commission over the SIR exercise and the broader functioning of the poll panel.
The controversy intensified after a report by The Indian Express said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on several occasions concerning decisions and actions related to electoral-roll revisions and the SIR process.
The Election Commission has maintained that differences of opinion and written observations are part of its internal deliberations and has said decisions concerning the SIR were taken unanimously.
Congress has rejected that position and accused the Election Commission of failing to fulfil what the party describes as its constitutional responsibility to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. The party has consequently intensified its campaign for Kumar’s resignation.
Protests spread across India
Monday’s action in Agra was part of a wider campaign. Congress organised demonstrations in several states and cities, including parts of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, while similar opposition protests were reported elsewhere.
In Jaipur, former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra were among opposition leaders detained during a protest march over the SIR controversy.
Congress had also organised nationwide demonstrations on September 25, with protests reported in Delhi, Patna, Jammu, Kolkata, Punjab, Assam and other parts of the country. In Patna, police used water cannons, while several protesters were detained in some locations.
Legal challenge reaches Supreme Court
The controversy has also moved into the courts.
A fresh petition has been filed before India’s Supreme Court challenging aspects of the Election Commission’s exercise of its constitutional powers. The petition questions whether powers vested in the multi-member Election Commission can be exercised or represented individually by the Chief Election Commissioner.
The petition invokes Article 324 of the Indian Constitution, which places the superintendence, direction and control of elections with the Election Commission, and refers to provisions governing collective decision-making within the poll panel.
The legal challenge is separate from the political campaign and will ultimately depend on the court’s consideration of the constitutional and statutory questions raised before it.
Youth group sets deadline
The controversy has also attracted support from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-oriented political movement that has called for Kumar’s resignation.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the organisation would begin a fresh phase of protests from Mumbai on October 2 if Kumar did not resign by its stated deadline. The group has said it intends to expand the demonstrations to cities across the country.
The growing confrontation places additional political pressure on the government and the Election Commission as opposition parties continue to question the electoral-roll revision process and demand greater transparency.
The Election Commission, meanwhile, has defended its procedures and rejected suggestions that internal differences over the SIR exercise amount to evidence of wrongdoing.
With protests expanding and legal challenges emerging alongside competing political claims, the dispute over the Election Commission’s role, electoral-roll revisions and the independence of the country’s election machinery is likely to remain a major issue in India’s political debate.
The allegations made by political parties and protest groups remain contested, while the legal and institutional questions raised over the Election Commission are subject to ongoing proceedings and scrutiny.
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