The removal of chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar would be the first step towards restoring the country’s democratic institutions, Opposition leader in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday.
Addressing the INDIA bloc’s mega rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, the Congress leader stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and Kumar over allegations of “vote chori (theft)”. The Opposition would hold them accountable and Gyanesh Kumar would “go to jail”, he said. Track live updates on INDIA bloc rally
“The first step to bring back country on right track will be to remove Gyanesh Kumar,” Gandhi said.
Deep Dive
Why did the INDIA bloc hold a rally against CEC Gyanesh Kumar?
What did Rahul Gandhi allege about vote theft and Gyanesh Kumar?
How did the BJP respond to the INDIA bloc’s vote-chori allegations?
The INDIA bloc held the rally to protest against alleged irregularities in the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the alleged mass deletion of voters. The ruling BJP and Kumar have rejected the allegations.
“Amit Shah says Narendra Modi will not go anywhere. We are saying we will not let him go anywhere. We will take legal action against you and country will seek justice for this vote chori,” Gandhi said.
{{/usCountry}}“Amit Shah says Narendra Modi will not go anywhere. We are saying we will not let him go anywhere. We will take legal action against you and country will seek justice for this vote chori,” Gandhi said.
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He said the Opposition’s campaign was not driven by animosity towards anyone but by its commitment to protecting the Constitution and ensuring that every citizen’s voice was heard.
“We do not hate Narendra Modi, Amit Shah or Gyanesh Kumar. We are people who open the shop of love, not hatred. We are people of non-violence…But the voice of every citizen of India is more important to me, even more important than religion. That is my religion,” he said.
“You will not be able to run anywhere. You will remain here. Action will take against you, Amit Shah and Gyanesh Kumar.”
The rally followed the INDIA bloc’s October 31 mock parliamentary session against Kumar, during which Opposition leaders levelled six allegations against him.
Rahul Gandhi alleges vote theft in 2024 Lok Sabha polls
Gandhi also alleged that electoral malpractice had taken place over several years and claimed that the BJP benefited from alleged manipulation of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and electoral rolls.
He questioned the outcome of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and several state polls as he alleged election rigging. He accused Kumar of attempting to silence voters and said the CEC would be held accountable.
"Gyanesh Kumar will be removed as CEC, he will go to jail," Gandhi said. "This is not voice of one party or leader; this is voice of India's youth, women, farmers, workers," he added.
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Amit Shah hits back at Rahul Gandhi
Amit Shah launched a counterattack on Gandhi while addressing a gathering in Chandigarh on Sunday. He questioned the INDIA bloc's decision to hold its rally in Delhi on November 1, the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
"Rahul Gandhi's November 1 'jalsa' in Delhi will only rub salt in wounds of anti-Sikh riot victims," Shah said. The home minister recalled the violence that followed the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed, particularly in Delhi.
Shah said the Congress had to answer for the violence and accused the party of insensitivity towards the victims by holding its rally on the anniversary. He also took a dig at Gandhi over his political ambitions, saying: “If you want to become PM, stay in mock parliament your entire life; your turn won't come.”
INDIA bloc's campaign against CEC Gyanesh Kumar
The Ramlila Maidan rally followed the INDIA bloc's October 31 mock parliamentary proceedings against Kumar at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in New Delhi. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the mock proceedings, during which Opposition leaders levelled six charges against the CEC over electoral irregularities and his handling of the SIR exercise.
The INDIA bloc’s November 1 march began at the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction and ended at Ramlila Maidan, where leaders from the Congress, Samajwadi Party, TMC and Left parties gathered.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav were among those present.
Kharge accused the BJP-led governments at the Centre, Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh of coming to power through alleged vote theft. “Only if Modi goes will democracy survive. We must remove Modi to save democracy,” he said.
Tejashwi Yadav compared the Opposition’s fight against alleged vote theft to the Mahabharata, describing it as a battle between voters and those accused of stealing their votes. BJP leaders have accused Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc parties of questioning democratic institutions when election results do not favour them.
ECI's clarification
The Election Commission earlier rejected Gandhi’s allegations of “vote chori” and irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls, calling his claims about changes to Form 6 “misleading”.
On X on October 5, the poll body said the SIR order for Bihar, issued on June 24, had received the unanimous approval of the three-member Commission. It also said the Supreme Court upheld the order in its May 27 judgment.
The clarification came after Gandhi alleged that CEC Gyanesh Kumar had illegally and unilaterally changed Form 6, used by first-time voters to apply for inclusion in electoral rolls. The Congress leader claimed the change was made to benefit the BJP.
The ECI, however, maintained that the declaration attached to Form 6 for the SIR exercise had been upheld by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had also raised questions about the issue. During a hearing, Chief Justice Surya Kant said the court would examine the records to establish who had introduced the changes to the online form. He clarified that the court had not approved any modified Form 6.
In a separate affidavit filed in October, the ECI told the Supreme Court that all three orders relating to the SIR exercise had been approved unanimously by the CEC and the two Election Commissioners. It also said that suggestions and queries raised during internal discussions should not be treated as formal decisions of the Commission.
In August 2025, Kumar had challenged Gandhi to either provide evidence to support his voter-fraud allegations or withdraw them. "Produce evidence of voter fraud or withdraw your remarks. There is no third option," he had said.