INDIA Bloc MPs March to ECI Today, Security Beefed Up

Upping the ante against the SIR exercise and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyaneshwar Kumar, the INDIA bloc MPs will soon be marching towards the ECI headquarters.

The INDIA bloc has also reached out to some parties like the Biju Janata Dal and DMK for support. While BJD has decided to join the protest, it is not known if DMK will also join or not.

Opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, and Samajwadi chief Akhilesh Yadav will also join the march. On Monday, a weird statement was made by Swaraj India member Yogendra Yadav, who said that he would go to the ECI and submit an impeachment letter to the CEC. The BJP and others have sharply criticised this statement, since impeachment cannot be done through street fights. It has to be moved in Parliament, and due process needs to be followed.

However, the BJP too feels that the opposition should wait for the judgement of the Supreme Court instead of taking to the streets for the purpose of “optics”.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) was not functioning impartially and was not working in accordance with the Constitution.

Yadav alleged that the BJP had benefited from money and the misuse of force during elections, while also accusing the poll body of failing to remain neutral.

Meanwhile, security has been heightened around the Election Commission headquarters in view of the planned March. The police had also put up barricades in front of the Congress office on Raisina Road, which was objected to by the party activists, and there was an argument with the police. The activists even removed some barricades.

Security has also been stepped up at key points in New Delhi since Friday in view of protest calls issued by different organisations over the SIR exercise, they said.

Heavy security deployment and barricading were put in place in and around Parliament and the Election Commission headquarters ahead of the planned march. Security personnel were stationed in the area much before the MPs began arriving.

The MPs are gathering at Parliament's Makar Dwar and are expected to begin their march to Nirvachan Sadan, the Election Commission headquarters, at 11 am.

Ahead of the march, opposition MPs questioned the security arrangements and stepped up their demand for Kumar's resignation, citing the Supreme Court's observations on changes to Form 6, the statutory application for enrolment as a voter.

Congress MP Imran Masood accused Kumar of eroding public trust in the Election Commission.

"Across the country, the institution that Gyanesh Kumar headed was an institution the entire country trusted, an institution the entire country took pride in and felt proud of. Questions were never raised over its impartiality. One person has broken that trust," he told PTI Videos.

"And an entire nexus is working together. We will question Gyanesh Kumar, and the BJP chief ministers will start giving the answers," he alleged.

CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar said the Supreme Court's observations on Monday had strengthened the opposition's objections to the additional declaration attached to Form 6 during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

"On September 26, there was a press statement by the Commission and it was stated that the entire process related to Form 6 has been ratified by the Supreme Court. Whereas it has been proven that it is an entirely misleading statement," he alleged.

Calling the CEC a "Cheating Election Commissioner", the CPI leader said opposition parties had been agitating against the provisions since 2025 and would intensify their movement.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut questioned the scale of security deployment ahead of the march, saying the MPs intended to proceed peacefully.

"We are MPs. We are members of Parliament. We are also citizens of this country. Why is there a need to deploy such a large force to stop us? We will walk and go. We are unarmed," he said.

Raut claimed that Border Security Force and CISF personnel had been deployed and security outside ministers' residences increased.

Accusing Kumar of misleading the public over the Supreme Court's position on Form 6, he said the CEC had "no moral right" to continue in office.

The Supreme Court on Monday said it had not approved any modified version of Form 6 and would examine the Election Commission's records to ascertain whether changes had been made and who had authorised them. The observations were made while hearing a petition challenging alleged unilateral decisions by Kumar.

In its September 26 statement, the Commission had said the declaration attached to Form 6 for SIR had been upheld by the Supreme Court, while forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, would be used outside the SIR period.

The march comes amid an opposition campaign over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise and reports of differences within the three-member Commission. The poll body has rejected suggestions of a split and maintained that decisions relating to SIR were taken unanimously.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gowri V

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A Journey of Three Decades Time passes faster than we realise. What feels like a journey that began only yesterday has today grown into more than three decades of a meaningful and fulfilling life devoted to education, journalism, and the empowerment of young minds. My professional journey began with journalism training in New Delhi in 1979. I went on to work as an independent journalist, drawing on my fluency in both English and Telugu. Over the years, I have edited and worked on Telugu articles in both languages, an experience that strengthened my command of language and sharpened my understanding of society, people, and contemporary issues. Yet, my principal profession and enduring passion have always been teaching. My decision to become a teacher was not merely a career choice—it was a calling. Teaching offered me the rare privilege of inspiring young minds, guiding them through their formative years, and making a lasting difference in their lives. I found immense satisfaction in simplifying complex concepts, nurturing curiosity, encouraging independent thought, and building confidence among students. Every moment in the classroom—every question, every moment of discovery, and every spark of understanding—reminded me why I had chosen this path: to empower young people through knowledge, values, and essential life skills. My teaching career began at the grassroots level as a Montessori teacher and gradually progressed to the position of Vice Principal. I had the opportunity to work in reputed educational institutions, including Dilsukhnagar Public School in Hyderabad, where I shouldered both teaching and administrative responsibilities. Although I have always considered myself, at heart, a teacher, my administrative experience enabled me to understand and contribute to the education system from a much broader perspective. For my students, I have always tried to be an approachable and dependable presence—someone they could turn to not only for academic support, but also for guidance and emotional encouragement. At the same time, I developed a reputation as a firm disciplinarian who believed that integrity, fairness, responsibility, and discipline were fundamental to education. I was also consistently appreciated for maintaining clear communication with parents and staff and for ensuring that examinations and other academic processes were conducted with transparency, fairness, and efficiency. As my career progressed, however, I began to feel that academic education alone was not enough. This realization led me to work more closely with students following the SSC and CBSE curricula, while consciously bringing life-skills education into my teaching. I came to understand that education becomes truly meaningful when it prepares children not merely to pass examinations, but to face life. Teaching emotional resilience, self-reliance, social awareness, communication, decision-making, and other practical life skills often had a deeper and more lasting impact than academic achievement alone. I saw how these skills could help students navigate challenges with greater confidence, maturity, and responsibility. My academic background provided a strong foundation for this approach. My degree in Psychology from the University of Madras helped me develop a deeper understanding of young people's minds, their emotional needs, and the influence of their family and social environments. My M.A. in Telugu with First Class from Osmania University.

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