INDIA bloc leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and others at Raj Ghat in New Delhi on Thursday (October 8).
CEC row LIVE: INDIA bloc MPs leave Raj Ghat after protest
Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi alleged that PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and CEC Gyanesh Kumar have destroyed the Constitution and asserted that they will be brought to justice for their conspiracy
Opposition leaders of the INDIA bloc on Thursday (October 8) staged a peaceful protest at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Raj Ghat to highlight what it alleged was the "hijacking" of the country by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) through a criminal conspiracy by indulging in 'vote chori'.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged that Modi, Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and CEC Gyanesh Kumar have destroyed the Constitution and asserted that they will be brought to justice for their conspiracy.
Lunch meeting
Rahul said this after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge hosted a lunch for Opposition MPs and leaders at a restaurant in central Delhi and decided to sit in a peaceful protest at Raj Ghat.
Then they left for Raj Ghat in air-conditioned buses parked outside the restaurant. Some of the leaders and MPs climbed atop the bus in which Rahul Gandhi and Kharge were travelling and were seen waving the tricolour.
Meanwhile, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) launched a major demonstration at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Thursday even as the INDIA bloc intensified its campaign against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with coordinated protests across multiple cities demanding the rollback of voter-list revisions and the resignation of Gyanesh.
In Bengaluru, the CJP protest drew activists, political leaders and civil society groups. Actor Prakash Raj and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee joined the protest, alongside JNU student leader Aishe Ghosh, AISA president Neha Bora, and CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke. Organisers screened video testimonies from individuals who claimed they had been wrongly excluded from electoral rolls during the SIR exercise.
A People’s Tribunal has also been planned to hear grievances related to alleged voter deletions, followed by a symbolic “chappal protest”. The CJP and allied groups demanded that all deletions carried out during the revision be scrapped and that pre-SIR electoral rolls be restored.
INDIA bloc plans another round of protests
The agitation coincided with renewed mobilisation by INDIA bloc parties in Delhi. For the second straight day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hosted alliance leaders for lunch, amid indications that another round of protests would follow. The meetings came after Wednesday’s dramatic showdown with police, when Opposition leaders attempted to reach Jantar Mantar for a sit-in demanding Kumar’s resignation.
The Delhi protest witnessed tense scenes, with opposition MPs clashing with security personnel after being stopped en route. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several women leaders lay down on the road while holding copies of the Constitution, while Rahul Gandhi resisted attempts by police to detain him. On Thursday, Delhi Police registered an FIR against Rahul, Priyanka and several Congress workers, alleging assault on police personnel and obstruction of official duties during the protest. Police said 91 people, including MPs and senior leaders, had been detained.
Meanwhile, in Patna, INDIA bloc leaders led by Tejashwi Yadav took out an “Aakrosh March” against the SIR exercise. The march was halted near the office of the Chief Electoral Officer as protesters attempted to move towards Lok Bhavan. Several leaders were detained, while former CPI(ML) MLA Ajit Kushwaha reportedly fainted during the demonstration.
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Scroll below for Live updates.
Live Updates
- 8 Oct 2026 2:23 PM IST
Mamata Banerjee speaks on INDIA bloc protest in Delhi
On the INDIA alliance's protest in Delhi, TMC chief and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, "I have seen a lot of atrocities. Everyone has the right to protest in all of India, but what happened to Priyanka Gandhi is not right. Everyone has a sister, mother, child at home. We should give respect to females..."
On being asked about the proposed CJP protest on October 10, she said, "We cannot say anything about the strategy.. They invited me, but we have a relationship with Gen Z. But we will see later what he does or doesn't do."
- 8 Oct 2026 2:21 PM IST
Second lunch meeting: Congress president Kharge arrives
Mallikarjun Kharge arrives for the lunch meeting in Delhi.
- 8 Oct 2026 2:16 PM IST
Youth must take the lead in protecting Constitutional values: Justice Gopala Gowda
Retired Supreme Court judge Justice V. Gopala Gowda participated in and expressed his support at the ‘Janata Nyayalaya’ (People’s Court) event held at Freedom Park in Bengaluru. During the event, he expressed strong concern, saying that democracy was being undermined in the country.
He strongly criticised what he described as a recent irresponsible statement by the Chief Justice of India. He said that people would not tolerate such repressive policies and would soon respond appropriately.
He said that the future of the country lies in the hands of the younger generation and that no force can suppress the collective strength of students. He called upon young people to take the lead in protecting the values enshrined in the Constitution.
- 8 Oct 2026 2:09 PM IST
In Bengaluru, Dhruv Rathee releases investigative report on alleged vote theft
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee released an investigative report by the ‘Anti-SIR Coalition’ at a CJP protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru. The report was prepared based on a comprehensive survey conducted across 100 polling stations in Karnataka.
The report details alleged irregularities and lapses in the electoral roll revision process. It documents how the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) process is allegedly undermining democratic values.
Speaking on the occasion, Rathee said that the report had exposed an alleged systematic conspiracy to disenfranchise people by removing their names from electoral rolls. He described it as a warning bell for the protection of democracy.
- 8 Oct 2026 2:00 PM IST
Venugopal: INDIA Bloc in ‘do-or-die battle’ to protect democracy
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on Thursday said the INDIA bloc was engaged in a “do-or-die battle to protect voters and democracy”.
Venugopal said the alliance had already sought a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu to raise its concerns.
He said the first letter seeking an appointment was sent to the Rashtrapati Bhavan on October 2, after which the President’s office asked the alliance to provide the names of the leaders who would attend, reported the Hindustan Times.
“We had requested an appointment on October 7, 8 or 9,” Venugopal said, adding that the INDIA bloc would wait until Friday for a response.
- 8 Oct 2026 1:54 PM IST
‘Modi has power, But we have the streets’: Dipke
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke criticised the “One Nation, One Election” proposal while addressing the party’s protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, alleging that the idea was aimed at creating “one nation, one party”.
“One nation and one election is a slogan. The intention is one nation, one party. This was the plan of Hitler now. Modi should ask what happened to Hitler. He has to shoot himself,” Dipke said as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
He also alleged that voters were being deleted from electoral rolls and linked the claim to the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
“Why is there vote theft. In 2024, there was 2% difference between BJP and opposition. So now they are deleting 30 crores votes across the country,” Dipke said.
He said the protest movement would continue and urged supporters to challenge the government through street protests.
“Narendra Modi may have power, but we have the streets. We will reclaim our power from here,” Dipke said.
- 8 Oct 2026 1:51 PM IST
NSUI workers gather outside Kharge’s Opposition lunch venue
NSUI workers gathered outside a venue in Connaught Place, Delhi, where the second lunch meeting of Opposition MPs, hosted by Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge, is scheduled to be held.
Visuals shared by ANI showed NSUI workers assembled outside the venue ahead of the meeting.
- 8 Oct 2026 1:48 PM IST
Youth Congress announces march from Rajghat amid tight security
The Youth Congress has announced a march from the Rajghat area in Delhi, with security forces deployed alongside local police personnel.
A senior police officer said it was not yet clear whether the leaders would proceed towards Rajghat or head to Jantar Mantar, reported the Hindustan Times.
- 8 Oct 2026 1:35 PM IST
Delhi HC agrees to hear on Friday IYC plea seeking permission to protest at Jantar Mantar
The Delhi High Court agreed to hear tomorrow (October 9) a plea by the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) seeking permission to hold a protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar in Delhi over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise.
The plea was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma on Thursday.
The court said the plea will be listed on Friday and in case it does not happen, the petitioner can again mention the matter.
The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) approached the court challenging Delhi Police's order denying them permission to hold the protest at Jantar Mantar.
They are demanding for the resignation of Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
- 8 Oct 2026 1:33 PM IST
Watch | Talking Sense With Srini: Unprecedented crisis for EC
In the latest episode of Talking Sense With Srini, the flagship weekly YouTube show of The Federal, Editor-in-Chief S Srinivasan unpacks the escalating constitutional showdown over the conduct of the SIR by the Election Commission.
Watch it here.
