Nationwide Protests Over SIR Exercise; Opposition Demands CEC Resignation Amid Rigging Charges

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's scheduled visits to Meerut and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh have been postponed amid political controversy and nationwide protests by the INDIA bloc. High-ranking sources within the Election Commission dismissed speculation connecting the deferrals to reports of internal dissent, stating that the decisions were taken days earlier and communicated to local district authorities via email. The poll body maintained that schedule changes are standard operational occurrences influenced by logistics, venue availability, and administrative factors, citing past rescheduling in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Ladakh. Addressing claims regarding friction within the multi-member Commission, sources noted that internal discussions, differing viewpoints, and consensus-building represent the normal functioning of a multi-member constitutional body. The Commission reiterated that final decisions are issued with requisite approval and that routine administrative adjustments should not be conflated with the political showdown surrounding the institution.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay launched a fierce counter-attack against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) during a political address ahead of upcoming by-elections. Addressing sustained attacks and criticism from the principal opposition party, Vijay defended his administration's governance and welfare delivery, asserting that borrowing was undertaken exclusively for public welfare rather than corruption. Directly challenging former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and the DMK leadership over past corruption inquiries, including the Sarkaria Commission, Vijay declared that his government represents the people. He contrasted his welfare schemes—such as fare-free bus travel and power initiatives—with the DMK's governance record, underlining that the electoral contest in Tamil Nadu remains squarely between his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), and the DMK.

Congress workers staged protests across several states on Friday, demanding the resignation and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid the political row over the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The Punjab Congress organised a protest march to the Election Commission office in Chandigarh demanding the dismissal and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Speaking on the protest, Punjab Congress General Secretary Captain Sandeep Sandhu accused the Chief Election Commissioner of taking unilateral decisions against the consensus of two fellow Election Commissioners. Sandhu noted that the two commissioners sent disagreement notes on twelve separate occasions regarding state election procedures. He argued that under constitutional guidelines, majority decisions should prevail instead of unilateral actions. Sandhu declared that internal dissent within the poll body makes the ongoing electoral process undemocratic and unacceptable to the Congress party ahead of elections.