Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav criticized the Election Commission of India’s functioning on October 2, asserting that concerns about its decisions and electoral processes had been raised consistently since 2022.
Speaking in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Yadav described the questions raised as “entirely valid” and alleged a lack of consensus among the three Election Commissioners regarding the rules framed by the Election Commission. He said, “We have been raising these questions consistently since 2022, and even before that, and they are entirely valid questions. The rules formulated by the Election Commission lacked consensus among the three Election Commissioners themselves. The amendment made to ‘Form 6′ was neither in accordance with the law nor the Constitution. Furthermore, stripping field-level officials, such as the PROs, of their powers regarding appeals against electoral roll amendments was legally untenable.”
Yadav also challenged the impartiality of the Election Commission as a constitutional body, stating, “The Election Commission is not functioning impartially as a constitutional body; this has been proven, and the whole country is aware of it.”
Simultaneously, activists of the Cockroach Janata Party and other civil society organizations protested against the Election Commission at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, alleging irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision exercise.
In Delhi, members of the Students’ Federation of India and Democratic Youth Federation of India, accompanied by opposition leaders including CPI(M) representatives, staged demonstrations near Jantar Mantar demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Delhi Police denied permission for the protest and imposed prohibitory restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), prohibiting assemblies of five or more people and the carrying of banners or placards without prior written authorization. Security was also tightened in central Delhi.
Additionally, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation closed entry and exit points at 11 stations in the vicinity, including Janpath, Patel Chowk, and Rajiv Chowk, while maintaining some interchange facilities.
The protests occurred amid ongoing opposition and civil society demonstrations challenging the Election Commission’s conduct and the SIR exercise.