'Vote chori' protest in several states: Gaurav Gogoi, others detained
What's the story
Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and several party leaders were detained by the Assam Police on Friday during a protest in Guwahati demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The party, led by Gogoi, took out a march from its state headquarters, Rajiv Bhawan, and planned to proceed toward the Chief Electoral Officer's office to burn an effigy of Kumar.
Twitter Post
Massive protests erupt nationwide
Congress workers across the country are protesting against the Gyanesh Kumar-Modi-Shah trio over Vote Chori.
— Saral Patel (@SaralPatel) September 25, 2026
LoP @RahulGandhi Ji exposed them yesterday, and now Congress Babbar Shers are fighting on the ground. pic.twitter.com/1dnC7uuQlS
Accusations made
Legal action should be taken against Gyanesh Kumar: Gogoi
During the protest, Gogoi accused Kumar of committing treason and demanded his immediate resignation.
He also called for legal action against the CEC.
"Today, as people have come to know that Gyanesh Kumar has committed a crime and committed an act of treason, he should resign today and legal action should be taken against him," he said.
"Along with Gyanesh Kumar...their masters, Prime Minister Modi Ji and Home Minister Amit Shah...should remember today that the country will not forgive them."
Police
Police resort to using water cannons
In Patna and Chandigarh, police resorted to using water cannons to disperse protesters.
In Delhi, the Youth Congress staged a protest at Jantar Mantar.
The Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress also protested outside the Chief Electoral Officer's office.
Protesters raised slogans against Kumar, carrying posters that read "arrest Gyanesh Kumar for treason" and "Vote-Chori magic trick exposed."
In Dehradun, Congress leader Kumari Selja led the protest.
Congress MLAs had also staged a protest inside the J&K Assembly, demanding Kumar's immediate resignation.
Twitter Post
Protest also held in NE's Imphal
The MPCC held a state-level protest march in Imphal today, demanding the removal and arrest of CEC Shri Gyanesh Kumar and an independent review of electoral decisions amid the “Vote Chori” controversy.
— Keisham Meghachandra Singh (@meghachandra_k) September 25, 2026
Reports say the other two Election Commissioners raised objections 14 times… pic.twitter.com/zTUfpNSUMf
Reported dissent
Protest triggered by revelations in The Indian Express
The protest was sparked after an investigative report by The Indian Express revealed that two sitting Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions taken without their knowledge.
These objections included changes to Form 6 for new voter registration, deletion and restoration of voter names, appeals against orders restoring voters during the SIR process, and management of the electoral-roll database.
CJP
CJP gives CEC 24 hours to resign
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has given Kumar 24 hours to resign, failing which a nationwide protest will begin on October 2.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced the protest would kick off in Mumbai and spread to other cities.
"If Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by tomorrow, CJP will begin its nationwide protest from Mumbai...and take it to cities across India," Dipke said. He added, "This Gandhi Jayanti let's pledge to save democracy."