CEC-SIR protest LIVE: Rahul says INDIA bloc’s next move a ‘surprise’; Shah tells Cong to introspect
After meeting INDIA bloc leaders and civil society members, the LoP says the movement will continue until those accused of electoral fraud are brought to justice
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (October 13) said he would not reveal the Opposition parties’ next move amid the CEC-SIR row, saying that doing so would spoil the excitement and sense of surprise for citizens. “Our movement will go till the end goal. How? That is a surprise,” he said.
“Sooner or later, whether tomorrow, the day after, in three months, six months, a year or two years, it will not stop. It will reach the end goal. I cannot tell you exactly how we will get there, because that would spoil the surprise, and we want to maintain the excitement and sense of surprise for you and the country. But I guarantee you that, just as we mobilised with such energy, strength and unity, we will continue to fight together in the same spirit,” he said.
High tea at Rahul's residence
Addressing reporters after deliberations with INDIA bloc and civil society members at his residence, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha said this is the Opposition’s commitment that the people who have indulged in “vote chori” would be brought to justice, naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Rahul had hosted Opposition leaders of the grouping together with civil society members and students’ leaders at his residence for tea. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and several opposition leaders, including Tejashwi Yadav and Manoj Jha of the RJD, Mahua Maji (JMM), Harender Malik, Anand Bhadauria and Mohibullah Nadvi (SP), M A Baby (CPI-M), D Raja and P Sandosh Kumar (CPI), AISA chief Neha Bora, Dipankar Bhattacharya (CPI-ML) and Mahua Moitra (TMC), attended the tea at Rahul Gandhi's 5, Sunehri Bagh Road, residence.
The LoP also said that they had extreme respect for the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and hoped they would play their role in this process. “No matter what happens, no matter which institution plays a role or not, political resistance will continue, people’s resistance will continue and it will triumph,” he said.
The meeting came a day after Opposition leaders, joined by activists and civil society members, undertook a "March for Democracy" on a heavily-barricaded route and filed a joint petition against the SIR of electoral rolls and alleged poll irregularities in a major show of strength in the national capital.
SC gives Centre more time to file response
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court extended time till October 15 for the filing of response by the Centre on a batch of petitions arising from the closure of Metro stations and disruptions in train services in Delhi ahead of October 10 protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
A bench of Chief Justice (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, which was scheduled to conduct the crucial hearing on a litany of petitions, deferred the hearing to Thursday as Justice Mohana was indisposed.
Read our stories on the topic here
DMK-Congress feud: SIR becomes flashpoint in Tamil Nadu’s new political equation
Opportunism or long game? Why Akhilesh Yadav picked a Modi fan as SP’s RS candidate
What Rahul Gandhi's SIR petition in SC asks, and why sceptics doubt it
Foreign hand in anti-SIR protests? Prove it, or drop it, Mr Nabin
Indian voter is angry, but Gyanesh Kumar can still atone for his ‘crimes’
Follow this space for more live updates
Live Updates
- 13 Oct 2026 4:41 PM IST
Mallikarjun Kharge arrives for INDIA bloc high tea meet at Rahul Gandhi's residence
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge arrives at Rahul Gandhi’s residence for a high tea meeting with INDIA bloc leaders, opposition MPs and student organisations to discuss the alliance’s next course of action.
- 13 Oct 2026 4:34 PM IST
Supriya Shrinate says Rahul Gandhi could call another march
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said the INDIA bloc had not ruled out further protests, adding that Rahul Gandhi could announce another march at short notice.
“With Rahul-ji, one must be ready for anything,” she said before the high tea meeting at the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition’s residence, where opposition leaders were expected to discuss their next steps.
Referring to Monday’s march to the Supreme Court and the ongoing agitation over alleged electoral irregularities, Shrinate said the protests were intended to put pressure on the government.
She said the campaign should “wake up the slumbering government” and compel it to stop what she described as wrongful activities.
Shrinate also accused the BJP of spreading a “frivolous narrative”, attributing it to frustration and desperation.
- 13 Oct 2026 4:24 PM IST
Manickam Tagore says INDIA bloc to decide next steps collectively
Congress MP and Tamil Nadu Congress president Manickam Tagore said INDIA bloc leaders would jointly decide their next course of action at the high tea meeting convened by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
Referring to the opposition leaders’ march to the Supreme Court on Monday, Tagore said the alliance would discuss its plans together.
“The future course of action will be planned collectively,” he said.
Tagore added that leaders and MPs had taken part in the march with the aim of defending democratic institutions and the Election Commission.
“They participated in the march to “save the democracy and election commission also”,” he said as quoted in media reports.
- 13 Oct 2026 4:14 PM IST
Aradhana Misra-Mona calls INDIA Bloc's SIR protest a people's movement
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Aradhana Misra-Mona alleged that more than 13 crore people had been removed from electoral rolls, as INDIA bloc leaders continued their protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
“This is not an ordinary matter. The greatest strength of democracy in the country is the right to vote. If people are deprived of it, democracy will not survive,” she said as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
Misra-Mona said INDIA bloc allies, Rahul Gandhi and senior Congress leaders had jointly presented their concerns before the Supreme Court. She framed the ongoing agitation as a broader public campaign, arguing that it went beyond party politics.
Describing the protest as a “people’s movement”, she said the fight over electoral roll revisions concerned voters’ rights and the democratic process, rather than the interests of any single political party or alliance.
- 13 Oct 2026 4:11 PM IST
Pawan Khera says INDIA Bloc to discuss next phase of protest
Congress MP Pawan Khera said INDIA bloc leaders, student groups and members of civil society would meet at Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s residence to decide the next steps in their protest.
Khera said the meeting would focus on coordinating the alliance’s response and planning how to carry the agitation forward in the coming days.
"The entire INDIA alliance, our allies involved in the student movement, and members of civil society associated with us will sit together to determine our future strategy—deciding how to take this protest forward in the coming days..." he said.
Responding to allegations that Rahul Gandhi pushed a pregnant woman journalist during the INDIA bloc protest, Khera rejected the claim.
"Rahul ji did not push anyone. That is completely false. I have no further comment on that. Everything is out in the open for everyone to see..." he said.
- 13 Oct 2026 3:41 PM IST
Piyush Goyal accuses Congress of undermining EC's independence
Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday accused the Congress of undermining the Election Commission’s independence, alleging that the party had rewarded former chief election commissioners with political opportunities and state honours.
At a press conference, Goyal cited former CECs TN Seshan and MS Gill to question the Congress’s actions. He referred to Seshan contesting the 1999 Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket and Gill receiving the Padma Vibhushan in 2000 while still serving as chief election commissioner.
“Was this not an inducement? Was it not, in effect, a form of bribery?” Goyal asked, alleging that the Congress’s conduct raised questions about its impartiality towards the poll body.
The minister also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his recent conduct, though he did not elaborate further in the remarks provided.
Defending the NDA government, Goyal said it had given the Election Commission complete autonomy to carry out its duties independently. His comments came amid the ongoing political dispute over the functioning of the poll body and allegations concerning its impartiality.
- 13 Oct 2026 3:38 PM IST
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das detained, lawyer alleges he was not allowed to meet them
Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) chief spokesperson Saurav Das was among 14 people detained at Jantar Mantar and taken to Jaffarpur Kalan police station, his lawyer, Advocate Pushp Sharma, said.
Sharma said he had spoken to Das, who confirmed that he was inside the police station. However, the lawyer said he had not been allowed to meet his client.
"In my last conversation with Saurav, he told me that he was also inside. I don't know how long he will be kept inside," Sharma said as quoted by ANI.
He added that he had spoken to police personnel outside the station to seek information about the detainees, but had received no clear indication of when they might be released.
"I spoke to the police officers standing outside. They also said it would take some time. I have not been allowed to meet him yet..." Sharma said.
- 13 Oct 2026 3:33 PM IST
Lawyers protest police action, alleged brutality against advocates
Lawyers gather in protest at the Supreme Court, raising concerns over police action and alleged high-handedness against members of the legal fraternity.
- 13 Oct 2026 3:29 PM IST
IYC legal cell challenges Delhi Police order on Jantar Mantar
Indian Youth Congress (IYC) Legal Cell National Chairman Advocate Roopesh Singh Bhadauria has challenged the Delhi Police's decision to de-notify Jantar Mantar as a protest venue, questioning the timing of the move and its implications for demonstrations.
Bhadauria alleged that the police had withdrawn the site's status without adequate explanation, despite its earlier designation by the Supreme Court.
"The Delhi Police quietly de-notified the area that the Supreme Court had originally notified through its judgment. The biggest question is, why the rush? What are you afraid of?" he said.
Arguing that protests must remain visible to those in power, Bhadauria said restricting demonstrations to designated locations could limit their reach and impact.
"One has to sit at the doorstep of the power in the country to ask questions," he said, questioning how protests could remain relevant if they were pushed to a specific corner.
Bhadauria said the IYC Legal Cell was challenging the police directive.
"We are challenging the Delhi Police's standing order," he said.
- 13 Oct 2026 3:24 PM IST
Piyush Goyal calls Rahul Gandhi 'biggest red flag' for Congress
Union Minister Piyush Goyal launched a sharp attack on Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, challenging him to respond to 10 questions and blaming him for the Congress's repeated electoral defeats.
"I challenge Rahul Gandhi to answer these 10 questions," Goyal said, describing Gandhi as a liability for his party.
"Several people consider Rahul Gandhi the biggest red flag because of whom the Congress is losing again and again. Youth calls bad omen, a red flag. Rahul Gandhi is the biggest red flag for Congress," he said.
Goyal also accused Gandhi and his colleagues of misbehaving with a woman journalist who was covering their protest. He said the journalist was three months pregnant at the time.
"Rahul Gandhi and his colleagues misbehaved with a woman journalist who is 3 months pregnant," Goyal said.
Criticising the alleged conduct, the minister said the incident would draw condemnation from the public and the media.
"She was only covering their protest. I don't think the 140 crore people of the country or any journalist would ever forgive this," he said.
