The Congress on Friday (September 25, 2026) led nationwide protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar , accusing him of compromising the integrity of India’s electoral process, with the party’s general secretary (organisation), K.C. Venugopal, seeking Mr. Kumar’s resignation and arrest for alleged electoral malpractice. Civil society groups and other organisations held parallel protests in Delhi and several States.
Similar protests were reported in Lucknow, where Congress workers led by State president Ajay Rai clashed with the police after being stopped. Congress workers took to the streets across the country, with protests in several places being stopped by the police. Water cannons were used against demonstrators in Patna, Lucknow, and Punjab, while protesters were detained in Assam, Jammu, Odisha, Manipur and other States. In Manipur’s capital, Imphal, the police fired a few tear-gas shells to disperse the protesters. In Kerala’s Malappuram, Mr. Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, the Congress leader alleged that they were using Mr. “Resigning alone is not enough; he must be arrested. What he did is a criminal offence; he must be arrested,” Mr. Kumar, including those relating to the special intensive revision, should be revoked. Mr. In Patna, the Bihar Congress marched towards the Election Commission office but was stopped by the police using water cannons. In Assam, State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and other leaders were detained when they attempted to march towards the Chief Electoral Officer’s office.
Sharma said that 50-60 protesters were detained from Jantar Mantar, around 10 from the SFI protest, and around 25 from the Congress protest.
Venugopal said the nationwide protests would continue until the CEC stepped down. Kumar to overcome public opposition to the government through “artificial manipulation”. Venugopal said, adding that all decisions taken by Mr. The party’s communication chief, Jairam Ramesh, said citizens and Congress workers hit the streets demanding accountability over the capture of their fundamental right to vote and the “Chief Election Commissioner’s diabolical mischief”. “The frightened Modi Govt has cracked down on protesters and detained Congress leaders and workers, young citizens and students, and civil society activists – in so many places across the country,” he wrote on X . New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma said protesters were detained as no permission had been sought or granted to hold the protest at these venues. The police said the organisers had not obtained permission for the demonstration. The Congress also alleged that the Narendra Modi government was trying to deny Gen Z voting rights by attempting to “snatch [them] away through underhand means”, recalling former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s decision to lower the voting age from 21 to 18.
