CEC row LIVE: Rahul, Priyanka, other MPs released; Cong calls ‘Black Day’ protest tomorrow

Opposition leaders meet at Janpath over electoral row

Several senior INDIA bloc leaders met at Janpath in New Delhi on Wednesday for a meeting convened by Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, amid the Opposition’s growing campaign against the Election Commission over electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

Kharge has invited Opposition MPs for a lunch meeting, where lawmakers are expected to sign a letter seeking an appointment with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

RJD leader Sudhakar Singh said protests against the poll panel would continue across the country.

“Protests are taking place today as well at the block level across the entire country, whether you [the media] broadcast the news or not. Tomorrow, it will be at the district level. So this protest will continue; it will not stop. This is a fight... democracy was not established merely for elections, where someone becomes an MP, someone becomes the Prime Minister, or someone becomes the President. That is not why Indian democracy was founded,” Singh said as quoted by ANI.

CPI MP P. Sandosh Kumar said the campaign had gained wider public attention.

“This... meaning, is not a new movement. It was started in 2025... Now, after a year or a year and a half, what happened? It has become a slogan for the entire country,” he said.

CJP’s Saurav Das calls Gyanesh Kumar ‘traitor’, ‘anti-national’

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convenor Saurav Das launched a sharp attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, calling him a “traitor” and “anti-national” ahead of the group’s planned protest in Delhi.

“Gyanesh Kumar, who is a traitor to the country, the number one traitor, an original anti-national, and now even the Supreme Court has said that he is the number one liar in this country, will face a major protest by Cockroach Janta Party and the youth of the country from October 10,” Das said as quoted by the Hindustan Times.

Das said the CJP and youth groups would gather at Jantar Mantar on October 10 for the protest. He said the group was formally informing Delhi Police about the demonstration.

“Today, the entire Cockroach Janta Party team has come to inform the Delhi Police that we will all gather at Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site and a historic place where protests are held peacefully, on October 10,” he added.

Das said the group had also approached Parliament Street Police Station with a letter seeking cooperation.

“I have prepared a letter stating that we will fully cooperate with you and hope that you will also cooperate with us,” he said.

CJP to hold October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar

CJP co-convenor Saurav Das said the group will hold a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10 and has formally informed Delhi Police about the planned demonstration.

“CJP and all the youth of the country, meaning all the comrades, are going to reach Jantar Mantar on October 10,” Das said.

He added that the group had requested police cooperation to ensure the protest is held while maintaining law and order.

“We have formally informed the Delhi Police and requested them to cooperate with us while maintaining the law and order situation,” Das said as quoted by the Hindustan Times.

Keralam CM Satheesan slams Delhi Police action against Rahul, Priyanka

Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Tuesday (October 6) condemned the detention of Leader of the Opposition the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi during a protest in New Delhi, describing the action as “undemocratic” and a violation of citizens’ rights.

In a statement, Satheesan alleged that MPs and leaders of the INDIA bloc were dragged away and taken into police custody while leading a protest to defend democracy.

“Arresting Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi is undemocratic. The fight will continue,” Satheesan said.

He accused the BJP-led Union government of attempting to suppress protests using the police and said the arrests would not bring the Congress-led agitation to an end.

Satheesan also alleged that the BJP government was attempting to protect the Chief Election Commissioner while turning the Election Commission, which is expected to function as a guardian of Indian democracy, into a political instrument of the Sangh Parivar.

The Congress would go to any extent to protect the Constitution and democracy, he said, warning the BJP and the Union government against assuming that protests could be suppressed through police action.

“No government can escape accountability forever,” Satheesan said, adding that the Congress would lead the fight “for the country” and that the INDIA bloc would emerge victorious.

Kharge to host lunch for INDIA Bloc MPs at 1.30 pm

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will host a lunch for INDIA bloc MPs in New Delhi on Wednesday, a day after the Opposition’s protest march and Rahul Gandhi’s sit-in against the Election Commission.

The lunch is scheduled for 1.30 pm at Sagar Ratna on Janpath, reported PTI quoting sources . Opposition MPs are expected to discuss their next steps over the “vote chori” allegations and demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The meeting follows Tuesday’s high-voltage protest, during which Rahul led an Opposition march from Parliament towards the Election Commission office.

Police stopped the MPs with barricades, after which Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other Congress leaders entered the Akashvani Bhawan premises and staged a sit-in.

The protest continued for more than eight hours before police forcibly removed the leaders and detained them. Police said nearly 250 people were detained.

Rahul, Priyanka and other Opposition leaders were later released after brief detention.

Rahul fighting SIR, Modi-Shah busy filing FIRs: Congress

The Congress on Wednesday hit out at the Modi government after Delhi Police registered an FIR against Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over their alleged entry into Akashvani Bhawan during the INDIA bloc’s protest against the Election Commission.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of being “nervous, rattled and desperate” over Rahul’s campaign against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

“For almost two years now the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has been relentlessly exposing, through factual evidence, the Vote Chori conspiracy hatched between the PM & the HM on one side and the CEC on the other,” Ramesh said on X.

He alleged that crores of voters had lost their constitutional right to vote through what he called “Shahenshah Instigated Removal”.

“And when the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha adopts the method of satyagraha to highlight the injustices of SIR, the Delhi Police registers an FIR against him and other leaders,” Ramesh said.

“The diabolical duo is nervous, rattled and desperate. The writing on the wall is clear,” he added.

Rahul and Priyanka were among 260 people detained after an over eight-hour sit-in inside Akashvani Bhawan on Tuesday.

Opposition MPs to sign letter requesting meeting with CEC

Congress president and LoP Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has invited Opposition MPs for lunch today in Delhi; the MPs will be signing a letter requesting a meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner: Sources

Rahul, Priyanka booked for entering Akashvani Bhawan without permission

Delhi Police has registered an FIR against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and their supporters for allegedly forcibly entering Akashvani Bhawan during the opposition's march against the CEC on October 6, officials said on Wednesday.

The FIR was registered after police received a complaint alleging that Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, their supporters and other MPs accompanying them entered the Akashvani Bhawan premises without permission, the Delhi Police officials said.

On Tuesday, the two Congress leaders were among 260 people detained following an over eight-hour sit-in inside Akashvani Bhawan after an INDIA bloc march towards the Election Commission office was stopped by police.

Gyanesh Kumar’s Chhattisgarh visit postponed due to ‘unavoidable reasons’

The state Chief Electoral Officer's office said Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s two-day visit to Chhattisgarh, scheduled for October 7 and 8, has been postponed for “unavoidable reasons.”

No fresh date has been finalised. The Election Commission of India will announce the revised schedule once it receives it, India Today reported.

The postponement comes amid protests by Opposition parties seeking Kumar’s resignation over allegations linked to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The Opposition has also raised concerns over changes to Form 6 and has discussed a notice in Parliament for an impeachment motion against Kumar.

Kumar was scheduled to visit the Danteshwari Mata Temple in Dantewada, Chitrakote Waterfall in Bastar and the Bhoramdeo Temple in Kabirdham district. The Chhattisgarh government had accorded him “state guest” status, while preparations had been made for his reception and security.

The development follows Tuesday’s Opposition protest in Delhi, where Rahul Gandhi led an over eight-hour sit-in near the Election Commission office. Police detained several Opposition MPs after stopping their march from Parliament.

Opposition protests are set to continue on Wednesday, with the Aam Aadmi Party joining Congress, Left parties and other Delhi-based parties in a demonstration outside the Delhi CEO’s office.

Section 163 BNSS restrictions imposed around Jantar Mantar after INDIA Bloc protest

Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS have been imposed around Jantar Mantar Road following the INDIA bloc MPs’ protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday. Security has also been tightened in the area.