More than 150 Opposition MPs are expected to march from Parliament to the Election Commission demanding action against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. (Img: X)
New Delhi: Preparations are underway for a major Opposition protest march from Parliament’s Makar Dwar to the Election Commission on Tuesday, with INDIA bloc MPs expected to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Opposition parties have asked their MPs to assemble at Makar Dwar at 10 am before beginning the march towards the Election Commission.
Sources said more than 150 MPs could participate in the demonstration, making it one of the most significant coordinated Opposition protests over the Election Commission in recent months.
The proposed march comes as pressure continues to build on CEC Gyanesh Kumar, with Opposition parties intensifying their campaign over allegations of irregularities in the electoral process.
The Opposition mobilisation is expected to cut across party lines, with MPs from the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, Left parties, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Shiv Sena, NCP, JMM, National Conference and other regional parties expected to take part.
Several senior and elderly MPs have also indicated that they intend to join the march.
Trinamool Congress veteran and 80-year-old MP Saugata Roy is among those who have conveyed his willingness to participate. Organisers are making arrangements to ensure that elderly MPs and other participants can comfortably take part in the demonstration.
The participation of senior parliamentarians is expected to add political weight to the Opposition’s demand and underline the seriousness with which the INDIA bloc is pursuing the issue.
The immediate demand of the Opposition is the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
The parties have been mounting pressure on the Election Commission over what they describe as concerns surrounding the integrity of electoral rolls and the wider electoral process.
The protest is also part of a broader Opposition campaign centred on the allegation of “vote chori”, with Opposition leaders accusing the ruling establishment of benefiting from alleged irregularities with the Election Commission’s assistance.
The government and the Election Commission have rejected such allegations, while the Opposition has continued to press the issue through Parliament, public demonstrations and political campaigns.
Despite the intensifying confrontation, Opposition MPs have, for the moment, decided not to push the proposed impeachment notice against the Chief Election Commissioner.
The decision reflects a strategic calculation within the Opposition camp.
With the numbers not in its favour in Parliament, the Opposition does not want a parliamentary procedure to divert attention from its broader campaign and street mobilisation.
Instead, the INDIA bloc appears determined to keep the political focus on its allegations concerning electoral rolls and what it describes as “vote chori”.
The strategy shifts the centre of the confrontation from parliamentary arithmetic to public mobilisation, where Opposition parties believe they can sustain greater political pressure.
The Parliament-to-EC march comes amid continuing demonstrations at Jantar Mantar. Opposition parties and various political groups have been gathering at the protest site for the fourth consecutive day, keeping the electoral-roll controversy in the public spotlight.
The sustained demonstrations indicate that the issue is no longer confined to political exchanges inside Parliament. It has increasingly moved into the streets, with Opposition parties attempting to build a wider public campaign around electoral transparency. The proposed march from Parliament to the Election Commission is expected to further intensify that mobilisation.
The protest assumes significance because it brings together MPs from a wide spectrum of Opposition parties on a single platform against the Election Commission. For the INDIA bloc, the objective is not merely to register a parliamentary objection but to create sustained political pressure over electoral transparency and voter-list-related concerns.
For the government and the Election Commission, the escalating protests present a growing political challenge that could keep the controversy alive as parties prepare for upcoming electoral battles.
The participation of more than 150 MPs would also send a powerful visual and political message, even though the Opposition lacks the numbers required to force an impeachment process through Parliament.
All eyes are now on Tuesday’s proposed march from Makar Dwar to the Election Commission. The scale of participation, the response from the Election Commission and the government, and the Opposition’s next course of action could determine whether the confrontation escalates further.
The INDIA bloc appears to be prioritising street mobilisation and public pressure over an immediate parliamentary impeachment battle. The larger political contest, however, is increasingly centred on one question: how far can the Opposition push its campaign against the Election Commission without parliamentary numbers on its side?
