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Peek TV | September 26, 2026
ECI Under Siege?: In New Wave of Mobilisation, Battle Against CEC Hits Streets Across India
The Fact: As the Election Commission row escalates, opposition parties have stepped up their demands for action. The controversy over Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has moved to the streets, with Congress launching nationwide protests to demand his resignation and removal. Police detained workers and used water cannons to disperse protesters in Patna and Chandigarh. Left organisations also joined the demonstrations, with AISA national general secretary Neha Bora among those detained. Meanwhile, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke has announced a nationwide agitation from October 2 if Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by September 26.
The Context: The protests follow The Indian Express investigation, which reported how Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded objections at least 14 times in 10 months over decisions concerning electoral rolls, voter deletions, and access to electoral databases. The ECI has said such exchanges are part of its internal decision making and maintained that final decisions were unanimous.Stepping up the ante, Congress asked its state units to march to Election Commission offices on September 25, demanding Kumar’s resignation, removal, and legal action. In Patna, protesters marched towards the poll panel office before police used water cannons to stop them. In Guwahati, Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi was detained during the demonstration. Protesters in Kolkata also marched towards the Chief Electoral Officer’s office.However, the Express investigation has also prompted questions from within the NDA. Union Minister and LJP leader Chirag Paswan said it was “problematic if people begin to doubt the electoral process” and asked the CEC to clarify his position and “dispel misgivings in the minds of people”. TDP leader Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu said clarification and transparency would “strengthen public confidence”, while RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha said there was “surely an issue with the EC’s functioning” and that the Commission must clarify the concerns raised.
The Peek Insight: Amid rising calls for action against the CEC, what can the Election Commission do to keep trust intact? The poll body must address the several points raised by its own members and explain what kind of mechanisms keep the electoral process neutral, transparent, and worthy of public confidence. It might not answer every allegation against it, but now, the Commission must be clear about how it is governed, how decisions are made, and how disagreements are handled. Once voters begin to wonder whether the system that maintains the electoral roll can be trusted or not, the Election Commission has a big responsibility- to answer not merely its critics, but the electorate itself.
