Congress leads protests demanding CEC’s resignation, arrest

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.

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.