AGRA / NEW DELHI — The political protest surrounding Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar reached his doorstep on Monday, as Congress workers had an aggressive protest outside his ancestral residence in Agra’s Vijay Nagar Colony. They blocked the gates and spray-painting slogans accusing the misuse of electoral powers by the body.
Also Read: Latest National Crush of India Updated – Tanyaa Mishra Grabs People’s Attention
The Agra Incident and Police Response
Led by Uttar Pradesh Congress General Secretary Anil Yadav, alongside local functionaries including Mukesh Dhangar, Shahbaz, and Umesh Sharma, protestors gathered outside the residence. Protesters used spray paint and black ink to write slogans including “Vote Chor” (vote thief) and “Gaddar” (traitor) across the boundary walls and entrance.
Upon receiving alerts of the incident, Agra Police rushed personnel to the scene to scrub the defaced walls and clear the slogans. Authorities have launched an investigation and are reviewing local CCTV footage to identify and initiate legal action against those involved in the vandalism.
Trigger: Internal Rift Inside the Election Commission
The nationwide disturbance follows an investigative report by The Indian Express, which raised an unprecedented internal divide within the three-member Election Commission of India.
According to the report, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally recorded written objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period against decisions and orders issued in the Commission’s name without their prior knowledge or approval.
The objections flagged critical concerns regarding:
- Statutory Violations: The two commissioners termed procedural changes to Form 6—used for new voter registration—”unauthorized and illegal” without amending statutory election rules.
- Database Centralization: Concerns were raised over the “gradual centralization” of the electoral roll database in Delhi, which allegedly restricted ground-level Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) from accessing voter management software.
- Unilateral Orders: Commissioners stated that multiple decisions bypassed the collective, unanimous decision-making mandate outlined in the 2023 Election Commission Act.
Also Read: Vivo V80 & S2FE Set To Launch on Oct 6 in India, Check Specification
Widening Agitations Across UP and Bihar
Taking these into account, Congress and Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition, strengthened their campaign against the Election Commission head. Following a protest organized by Ajay Rai, UP Congress President, outside the Election Commission office in Lucknow, the party declared it would hold a series of protests across the state, including effigy burnings.
In Bihar, Congress workers organized an “Aakrosh March” starting from Congress Maidan in Kadamkuan, Patna, reportedly walking toward the election office. Earlier protests in the capital resulted in clashes with law enforcement agencies, which used water cannons to stop the protestors from crossing the assembly barricades.
