Congress Mobilizes Nationwide Protests Against Election Commissioner

The protests follow reports of internal friction within the poll panel, specifically claims that Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised objections at least 14 times regarding voter deletions and database access. While the Election Commission dismissed these as routine administrative queries, Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and P. Chidambaram, have characterized the Systematic Identification and Review (SIR) process as a tool for "vote theft" and mass disenfranchisement.

The political fallout has united a broad spectrum of opposition parties, including the CPI, CPI(M), Trinamool Congress, and Shiv Sena (UBT), all of whom are coordinating for a September 30 meeting to formalize their stance. Rahul Gandhi amplified the rhetoric during a visit to the Yamuna banks, suggesting that current electoral procedures are systematically stripping citizens of their voting rights. Meanwhile, the BJP has mounted a fierce counter-offensive. Union Health Minister JP Nadda accused the opposition of peddling falsehoods to destabilize constitutional institutions, asserting that the "truth can never be defeated." As the INDIA bloc prepares its next move, the government maintains that all commission decisions remain unanimous and legally sound.