Bhopal, Oct 12: Madhya Pradesh Congress leaders, led by Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar, reached New Delhi on Monday to join Rahul Gandhi’s campaign against alleged vote theft and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Upon reaching New Delhi, Madhya Pradesh Congress legislators and senior party leaders staged a sit-in on Barakhamba Road, accusing the Election Commission of irregularities in electoral rolls.

The protest is part of the Congress’s wider campaign against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists and its allegations of electoral manipulation.

Singhar said the entire Madhya Pradesh Congress had reached Delhi to stand with Rahul Gandhi in what the party described as a fight to protect democracy.

“The entire Madhya Pradesh Congress has come to Delhi to fight alongside Rahul Gandhi to protect democracy. If we have to go to jail for this fight, we are ready. We will not retreat until Gyanesh Kumar resigns,” Singhar said.

Former Madhya Pradesh Congress president Arun Yadav accused the Chief Election Commissioner of facilitating alleged vote theft under the protection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said the party would continue its agitation until Kumar stepped down and announced that a march to the Supreme Court would also be taken out.

“Gyanesh Kumar has facilitated vote theft under the protection of the Prime Minister. We will continue our protest until he resigns,” Yadav said.

The Madhya Pradesh Congress has been protesting against the revision of electoral rolls and demanding accountability from the Election Commission.

On October 8, the party organised demonstrations across the state, including a march in Bhopal led by former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, state Congress president Jitu Patwari and Singhar.

The party’s campaign follows Rahul Gandhi’s recent protests in Delhi, where opposition leaders sought to raise questions about the electoral process and demanded Kumar’s resignation.

The Election Commission has defended its procedures, saying political parties must follow the prescribed process to seek meetings with its officials.

The Delhi demonstration also saw participation from Congress Working Committee member Kamleshwar Patel, former Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh, former minister Sajjan Singh Verma, senior MLA Arif Masood and Tarun Bhanot.

New Delhi, Oct 12: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi and 10 other INDIA bloc leaders have moved the Supreme Court, challenging the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the exercise.

The writ petition, filed on Monday, names the ECI and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar among the respondents.

According to the case status reflected on the apex court’s website, the petition was filed on October 12 under diary number 64196/2026 and is currently pending.

It lists Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, CPI(M) leader M.A. Baby, CPI leader D. Raja, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Mahua Majhi, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule and Indian Union Muslim League leader E.T. Mohammed Basheer as petitioners.

The respondents include the Election Commission of India, CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi.

The development comes amid an escalating confrontation between the Opposition and the poll body over the SIR exercise, with INDIA bloc leaders alleging that the revision process threatens electoral fairness and could result in the exclusion of eligible voters from electoral rolls.

Earlier on Monday, Gandhi said Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant had advised Opposition leaders to approach the Supreme Court through a formal petition after they sought an appointment to raise their concerns over the SIR exercise.

Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, Gandhi said he and Kharge had written to the CJI expressing concern over electoral fairness and “attack on democracy”. He announced that INDIA bloc leaders would jointly approach the apex court to initiate legal proceedings and appealed to citizens to join their campaign in support of the Constitution and democracy.

The Opposition leaders had also begun a protest march towards the Supreme Court, demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the electoral process.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a sharp attack on the INDIA bloc, accusing it of turning the SIR controversy into a political spectacle.

BJP national spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan, speaking to media, dismissed the Opposition’s allegations and said the Supreme Court had already ruled on the constitutional validity of the SIR exercise. “This is baseless… They are lying. The Supreme Court has already ruled on the constitutionality of SIR,” he said.

Paswan further alleged that the Congress was losing elections across the country, including those conducted using ballot papers, and cited local elections in Silchar in Assam, Tripura and Himachal Pradesh to support his argument.

New Delhi, Oct 12: After Jantar Mantar was de-notified as the designated protest site, Opposition leaders expressed their anguish on Monday, saying that they will not accept the decision as it was arbitrary and that in a democracy, people decide where they can protest.

They added that the government can change the protest site but can’t reduce people’s anger.

Speaking to reporters, Congress MP Manish Tewari said, “We want to submit a representation to the Honorable Supreme Court. Therefore, the entire Opposition is collectively going to Barakhamba Road. Let’s see where it goes from here.”

Tewari added, “The norm is that the protests and demonstrations take place in Boat Club. People come there. You may change the designated venues for demonstrations, but you cannot reduce people’s anger.”

All India Mahila Congress President Alka Lamba said, “How can they end it, and who has decided this? In a democracy, who decides when something will begin or end, where people can go and where they cannot? Democracy will decide this.”

“The entire land of India is free for people to raise their voices against injustice and oppression. Our Constitution has given us this freedom. The entire country remains firm on the demand for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, and it will happen,” she added.

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said, “I would urge the government not to hold it here either. They should find a place outside the country, because according to them, we are not even citizens of this country. So, they should find a place in Bangladesh, China, or somewhere else and go there to hold it. Why go to such lengths here?”

Congress leader and Haryana LoP Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that the denotification of Jantar Mantar as the designated protest site showed that the government is scared.

“They want to suppress the voice of the people,” he added.

Congress MP Imran Masood said, “Now, we will protest on the top of the Himalayas”

Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi said, “They will gradually say you cannot come to Delhi, as if Delhi is their father’s property”

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said, “Whatever the party says will happen”

According to a previous circular by the Delhi Police, Jantar Mantar has been de-notified as the “designated” protesting site. The decision was taken based on the recommendations of a Home Ministry committee.

“Three new locations in Delhi — Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and East Delhi’s CBD Ground — have been designated for protests”, the official notification read.