Leaders of the INDIA bloc on Saturday staged a symbolic public protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the Election Commission of failing to ensure a fair and transparent electoral process. The programme, held in New Delhi, was designed as a mock impeachment proceeding and brought together several senior opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. During the event, Kharge alleged that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls could affect voters’ democratic rights and demanded the repeal of the 2023 law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners. Opposition leaders maintained that the Election Commission should function independently and without political influence.

Addressing the gathering, several leaders accused the Centre of undermining democratic institutions and alleged that voter names were being removed from electoral rolls without proper justification. Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose criticised the Election Commission and coined sharp political slogans while demanding accountability from the Chief Election Commissioner. The opposition also reiterated its claim that previous attempts by its MPs to seek the CEC’s removal in Parliament had been rejected. According to the leaders, the symbolic protest was intended to draw public attention to what they described as serious concerns regarding the transparency and credibility of the electoral process.

The event also featured testimonies from individuals who claimed they had encountered irregularities in the voter list. Anita Jaiswal alleged that despite voting in previous elections, her name had been removed from the electoral rolls, while Kanta Prasad claimed he was mistakenly listed as deceased and asked to register again as a first-time voter. Another participant, Maya Devi, said she possessed several valid identity documents but was unable to obtain a voter ID after her residence was demolished. The protest comes ahead of the INDIA bloc’s planned rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, where opposition parties are expected to continue raising concerns over the electoral roll revision exercise and demand greater transparency from the Election Commission.