Odisha Congress President Detained During Protest Against Election Chief

Bhakta Charan Das, president of the Odisha Congress, was taken into custody by police on Friday while leading a sit-in outside the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Bhubaneswar. The demonstration, which saw multiple party workers detained, centered on demands for the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities.

Editorial·September 25, 2026·reads: 622

Odisha Congress President Detained During Protest Against Election Chief

The protest was sparked by reports suggesting procedural inconsistencies within the Election Commission, specifically regarding the handling of electoral rolls and database access. Congress leaders pointed to recent findings that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections on 14 separate occasions over the past ten months.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee Vice President Santosh Singh Saluja claimed that these administrative lapses had tangible impacts on national election outcomes. He cited allegations that approximately 14 percent of the electorate across six states—including West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Haryana—faced issues related to voter deletions under Kumar’s tenure. Saluja further contended that 27 lakh votes in West Bengal were omitted despite a Supreme Court directive, an oversight he claims hindered the Trinamool Congress’s performance.

Before his removal from the site, Das maintained that the detention would not stifle the party's movement. The Congress unit plans to submit a formal memorandum to the Odisha CEO, escalating their call for Kumar’s resignation and subsequent arrest. The agitation reflects a broader push by opposition parties nationwide to challenge the current management of the electoral body.