Rahul Gandhi Demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s Resignation Amid Protests Over “Vote Theft”

Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday backed the nationwide demonstrations against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar , calling for his resignation and accusing the Centre of cracking down on young protesters on Gandhi Jayanti . The INDIA bloc has lined up further agitation, including a programme on October 6 and a large rally in Delhi on November 1. In a post on social media, Gandhi said the protesters were acting within their constitutional rights and alleged that hundreds had been detained. "Today is Gandhi Jayanti. And today, thousands of young people are on the streets against vote theft - peacefully, without violence, exercising their constitutional rights. Their demand is clear: Gyanesh Kumar must resign. Save democracy," he said. He accused the government of answering the protests with detentions. "And the Modi-Shah government's response? Boys and girls are being dragged off the streets. Hundreds are in custody. Their only crime is that they dared to question vote theft," he said. Drawing on Mahatma Gandhi's legacy, he said, "Bapu taught us exactly this - speak the truth, fight peacefully. And that's what scares this government the most." He ended with a warning. "Because a lathi can stop a crowd, but not a question. Gyanesh Kumar will go. And the system that put him there will go too," Gandhi said. Protests in Delhi, Mumbai In Mumbai, activists of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and other civil society groups gathered at Shivaji Park to protest against the Election Commission and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. In Delhi, members of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) joined opposition leaders near Jantar Mantar, seeking Kumar's removal. Several leaders, including AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj, were detained while prohibitory orders under...