Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 2: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday backed protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying young people were taking to the streets peacefully to raise concerns over what he described as “vote theft”.

In a post on X on Gandhi Jayanti, Gandhi said the protesters were exercising their constitutional rights and demanded Kumar’s resignation. He also criticised the detention of protesters during demonstrations in Delhi.

The remarks came as opposition parties, student organisations and civil society groups held demonstrations in Delhi and Mumbai over the functioning of the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

In Delhi, protesters attempted to gather near Jantar Mantar despite police denying permission for the demonstration. Security was tightened across central Delhi, and several protesters were detained. Reports said AAP leaders Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj were among those detained.

The protests have been linked to opposition concerns over the SIR exercise and allegations that the electoral-roll revision could affect eligible voters. The Election Commission has rejected suggestions that differences raised internally amounted to institutional dissent and has maintained that decisions concerning the SIR exercise were taken unanimously.

Gandhi invoked Mahatma Gandhi’s emphasis on truth and non-violence while defending the protesters. He alleged that the government’s response had been to detain those questioning the electoral process.

The Congress leader also said the protests would continue and called for Kumar to step down. His remarks are political assertions regarding the Election Commission and the government and are not established findings.

The campaign against Kumar is expected to continue, with opposition groups planning further demonstrations in the coming days. A larger programme has also been announced in Delhi for November 1.