Congress Leaders Seek Audience with CJI Amid Election Commission Claims

Kharge, speaking in Bengaluru, accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of stifling independent decision-making within the poll panel. He alleged that the 2023 legislation governing the appointment of commissioners provides unprecedented immunity to officials, effectively shielding them from accountability for irregularities. According to Kharge, this legal framework facilitates electoral fraud, which he characterized as vote theft to benefit the ruling administration.

The upcoming judicial meeting follows a tense Saturday in the national capital, where mass detentions and heavy police deployments marked a protest at Jantar Mantar. Authorities detained approximately 1,000 individuals, including prominent opposition figures such as Arvind Kejriwal, Pinarayi Vijayan, and Mamata Banerjee. Kharge cited the deployment of 32,000 police personnel as evidence of the government's fear, further asserting that the current administration is actively subverting democratic norms through state-sanctioned pressure.