The Opposition’s “vote chori” campaign moved to Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday as INDIA bloc leaders submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu. Gandhi said the President had asked for proof of the allegations, which he claimed the Opposition possessed.
BY PC Bureau
October 9, 2026: The Opposition has escalated its campaign against the Election Commission, with INDIA bloc leaders meeting President Droupadi Murmu on Friday and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and restoration of the voters excluded from the draft lists.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who led the delegation, said the President had “not denied” the Opposition’s allegations of irregularities in the electoral process but had asked for evidence. “We have all the proof of how elections were stolen. The entire country has seen it,” Gandhi said after the meeting.
The delegation followed a march by Opposition MPs and leaders from Parliament towards Rashtrapati Bhavan. Around 10 leaders were allowed to meet the President, while the rest staged a sit-in on Kartavya Path, carrying placards such as “Gyanesh, it’s done bro!” and raising slogans alleging “vote chori” and collusion between the Election Commission and the BJP-led government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Among those who joined the protest were Priyanka Gandhi, Deepender Hooda and Mahua Moitra.
The march came after around 150 MPs and other INDIA bloc leaders met in Parliament’s Central Hall. Sixteen leaders representing 16 parties signed the memorandum submitted to Murmu. Gandhi told the gathering that the Opposition’s protests over the previous few days had “shaken the foundation of the government.”
Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jha, who was part of the delegation that met Murmu, said the demand was “the same as that of the entire country: to dismantle the entire structure of dishonesty”. He accused Gyanesh Kumar of “standing like a shield.”
LIVE: Media Bite | Protest Against Vote Chori | New Delhi https://t.co/eBuo8FLXrw
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 9, 2026
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said “all patriots” were working to strengthen democracy, irrespective of political affiliation, and praised those who had taken to the streets.
The confrontation comes as the Cockroach Janta Party, the youth group that claims to have forced the Education Minister’s resignation in July over alleged paper leaks, prepares for a separate protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday. The Delhi government has deployed thousands of security personnel and suspended internet access within a 4-km radius of the protest site for 24 hours from 10 pm Friday.
READ: No total Metro or train shutdown in Delhi, SC tells Centre
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge linked the restrictions, including the closure of metro stations and cancellation of train services, to what he described as fear within the government. “A person who is afraid will die tomorrow, if not today,” he said.
Kharge also said alleged mistakes by Gyanesh Kumar had “created a situation of fear in the country and put democracy in danger”, arguing that this was why the Opposition had approached the President.
The BJP rejected the allegations. BJP president JP Nadda pointed to election results declared earlier in the day, including the Lok Sabha result in Nagaon and Assembly results in Nandigram, Rejinagar and Thattanchavady, arguing that they demonstrated continued public confidence in the Prime Minister’s leadership and the NDA’s governance agenda.
“The INDI Alliance’s repeated electoral defeats reflect its declining public trust. Questioning institutions instead of introspecting only exposes its political desperation,” Nadda posted on X.
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