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 1:28 PM IST
SIR should be scrapped: Prakash Raj
At the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) protest in Bengaluru, actor Prakash Raj said, “Adivasi, poor, Muslims and minorities have been denied their vote. Because you can't kill them, you have taken their votes…Our fight is not just about the resignation of (Chief Election Commissioner) Gyanesh Kumar. If he goes, someone else will come. We want SIR scrapped. Then Gyanesh Kumar should be investigated, and a case should be filed against him.”
- 8 Oct 2026 1:16 PM IST
CJP’s Saurav Das questions Delhi security, alleges detentions
CJP co-convenor Saurav Das alleged that volunteers were being detained and placed under house arrest in BJP-ruled states, in a video shared on X.
Das also questioned the deployment of police and CRPF personnel in Delhi, asking why the national capital was being “turned into a fortress.”
He said the security measures would not deter the protest movement and asserted that young people would continue to fight for their right to vote.
Calling the protest a long and difficult struggle, Das said people would remain united and continue their campaign.
- 8 Oct 2026 1:06 PM IST
Karnataka Youth Congress protests Rahul’s arrest In Bengaluru
The Karnataka Youth Congress held a torchlight procession at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Wednesday night to protest the arrest of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Protesters also burned an effigy of Kumar and attempted to lay siege to the Election Commission office. Police detained hundreds of Youth Congress workers following the protest.
- 8 Oct 2026 1:02 PM IST
Mahua Moitra thanks Rahul for ‘leading from the front’
MP Mahua Moitra thanked Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi for “leading from the front” during the INDIA bloc’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi on Wednesday.
In a post on X, Moitra praised Rahul’s role in leading the Opposition’s protest and said the campaign against the government would continue.
“Gyanesh & gang will have no place to hide. We will keep going till we destroy this government,” she wrote.
- 8 Oct 2026 1:00 PM IST
Delhi Police imposes Section 163 at Rajghat ahead of protest
Delhi Police has imposed Section 163 of the BNS at Rajghat. Congress has said it will protest at Rajghat.
Security has also been increased outside the BJP headquarters.
- 8 Oct 2026 12:32 PM IST
Telangana Congress holds ‘Chalo Lok Bhavan’ over CEC resignation demand
Telangana Congress workers held a ‘Chalo Lok Bhavan’ march from the Indira Gandhi statue to Raj Bhavan in Somajiguda on Thursday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The protest came amid the Congress’ wider campaign against the Election Commission over alleged discrepancies in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Earlier, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy criticised the Election Commission over the alleged discrepancies and condemned the detention of Congress leaders and workers in Delhi, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
- 8 Oct 2026 12:29 PM IST
Tejashwi detained during Patna march, demands Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation
A united Opposition march towards Raj Bhavan in Patna on Thursday saw clashes with police as leaders demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The march was led by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, VIP chief Mukesh Sahni and RJD MP Misha Bharti. Police detained Yadav, Sahni and Bharti after the confrontation and took them towards Lok Bhavan.
Yadav criticised the security arrangements at the protest site.
“AK-47s have been deployed here. Such weapons are meant to deal with terrorists, not democratic protests,” Yadav said as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
He said the Opposition would continue its campaign against Gyanesh Kumar.
“We will not back down until we secure the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. This march will go on,” Yadav said.
- 8 Oct 2026 11:44 AM IST
Congress’ ‘Black Day’ protests across Karnataka over Opposition leaders' detentions
The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) is holding protests across the state on Thursday as part of the Congress’ nationwide call to observe a “Black Day” over the detention of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other Opposition leaders during a protest in Delhi.
The main protest will be held at the KPCC office on Queen’s Road in Bengaluru from 10.30 am, with similar demonstrations planned at district and block or mandal levels.
The Congress has demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and accused the government of undermining electoral integrity over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
- 8 Oct 2026 11:36 AM IST
CJP protest: Security tightened at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park
Security has been tightened at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park ahead of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Barricades have been put up at the venue, with police personnel deployed as preparations continue for the protest scheduled for 4 pm on Thursday, the Indian Express reported.
- 8 Oct 2026 11:20 AM IST
Opposition protests against SIR are ‘out of frustration’: Union Minister
Union minister Bhagirath Choudhary on Thursday criticised the Congress-led Opposition over its protests in Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Choudhary accused the Opposition of staging the demonstrations out of frustration and said it had no substantive issue to raise.
“The opposition is left with no issue at all. They are frustrated and disheartened. This is why they resort to protest and are making baseless statements. Their demonstrations are out of frustration,” Choudhary told reporters in Ranchi as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
The Opposition has been protesting against the Election Commission and demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over its concerns regarding the SIR exercise.
