Congress workers and leaders held protests across India on Friday, September 25, demanding the resignation and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Demonstrations were reported in Delhi, Lucknow, Shimla, Dehradun, Patna, Jammu, Kolkata and Chandigarh, and police detained some protesters attempting to cross barricades or march towards election offices.
The protests were a part of Congress' campaign to combat the Election Commission on electoral-roll revision and irregularities. The party has called the Chief Election Commissioner “vote theft” and wants him to be ousted and arrested. These are allegations made by Congress and do not point to wrongdoing.
Gaurav Gogoi among Congress leaders detained
In Assam, Congress president Gaurav Gogoi led a protest march from the party's state headquarters, Rajiv Bhawan, to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer. Congress workers planned to burn an effigy of Gyanesh Kumar as part of the demonstration.
Police had set up barricades around Rajiv Bhawan to prevent protesters from moving towards the election office. Gogoi and several other senior Congress leaders tried to break the barricades and were detained by police.
The demonstration was part of the Congress’ broader nationwide protest drive against the Election Commission. The party has repeatedly raised concerns over the electoral-roll revision exercise and has called for greater accountability from election officials.
Delhi Protesters Attempt To Cross Barricades.
In the national capital, Congress workers marched from the party headquarters to the Election Commission office. Police put up several layers of barricades along Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg near the BJP headquarters to restrict the protesters’ movement.
Several Congress workers tried to cross the barricades, some of whom even climbed up the first layer. Police subsequently detained a number of protesters.
The Indian Youth Congress also organised a separate demonstration on Raisina Road. Protesters marched towards the Election Commission headquarters and raised slogans and banners calling for action against the CEC.
Some demonstrators wore masks with Gyanesh Kumar’s face and displayed symbolic protest props such as bound hands and chains. The demonstrations were part of the party’s campaign demanding accountability from the Election Commission.
Water Cannons Used In Bihar And Chandigarh
In Bihar, police used water cannons during the Congress protest as demonstrators attempted to move forward. The Congress later posted about the demonstrations on social media and reiterated its demand for the CEC’s resignation.
A similar situation happened in Chandigarh, where Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring led a protest towards the Election Commission office in Sector 17.
Congress leaders and workers were stopped by police barricades. When some protesters tried to move out of the restricted area, police used water cannons. Several Congress leaders, MLAs and workers were later detained.
VIDEO | Chandigarh: Police use water cannon to disperse Congress workers who are protesting against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 25, 2026
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/d8jp61yd2p)#Chandigarh #CongressProtest #CEC pic.twitter.com/HYJtWs1YuQ
Water cannons became one of the most visible features of the day’s demonstrations; police forces used the equipment to keep protesters from advancing beyond designated areas to prevent them from crossing the lines.
Protests reported in Jammu And Lucknow.
Congress workers also took to the streets in Jammu, where Congress MP Dr Syed Nasir Hussain and several other protesters were detained during the demonstration.
In Lucknow, party workers protested the resignation of the CEC. The demonstration took place under heavy rain, but protesters went on to make demands before several of them were arrested by police.
Congress workers in Himachal Pradesh held a demonstration outside the State Election Commission office. According to some reports, protesters also damaged the board from outside the building.
The protests across states were the Congress’ larger campaign against the Election Commission. The party has been calling for action over the electoral roll revision and it has called on the CEC to resign.
Congress-Election Commission Row
The nationwide demonstrations come as Congress and the Election Commission are in a political spat over electoral-roll revision and allegations of irregularities. Congress has publicly accused the poll body of allowing what it calls “vote theft” and has called for accountability.
The Election Commission has its own constitutional mandate to conduct elections and oversee electoral processes. Political parties’ accusations of electoral irregularities remain political and institutional debates until established through the relevant legal or electoral processes.
The protests Thursday saw Congress workers attempting to march to election offices in several cities. Police barricaded protest routes, detained demonstrators and, in Bihar and Chandigarh, used water cannons.
With Congress still campaigning, the Election Commission and electoral roll revision dispute is still a major political issue. The national demonstrations also brought the controversy to the forefront of public life in a number of state capitals and senior Congress leaders in particular.
