Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, backing youth-led protests against alleged vote fraud. He made the demand in a post on X on Friday, Gandhi Jayanti.

“Today is Gandhi Jayanti. And today, thousands of young people are on the streets against vote theft – peacefully, without violence, exercising their constitutional rights,” Gandhi wrote. “Their demand is clear: Gyanesh Kumar must resign. Save democracy.”

Gandhi alleged that hundreds of protesters were taken into custody. “A lathi can stop a crowd, but not a question,” he added, invoking Mahatma Gandhi’s message of non-violence. He accused the government of detaining peaceful demonstrators.

The protests by the CJP and civil society groups centre on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The Congress Working Committee has also called for Kumar’s resignation, while the INDIA bloc has announced further protests.

Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia rejected the demand on October 1, saying a change at the top of the poll panel would not help the Congress politically. The Election Commission has said its internal deliberations are normal and all its actions were lawful.