Bhopal Madhya

Congress workers in Madhya Pradesh held Black Day protests across the state on Wednesday. These protests took place at block and district levels. It was part of a nationwide call by the party leadership.

State Party Leader Speaks

State President Jitu Patwari said the party is fighting to protect people's voting rights. He alleges that the votes of 13 crore people have been stolen. Patwari demanded the resignation of Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He also stated that democracy cannot survive without an impartial Election Commission.

Protests turned tense in Bhopal, where some workers climbed the Ambedkar statue. In Indore, an effigy of Gyanesh Kumar was burnt. Similar demonstrations were held in Sagar and other districts.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav criticized the Congress party. He questioned their distrust in the election process. Yadav asked what the meaning of their victory in Kerala was if the system is flawed.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has hit out at Congress, saying the party should look inward instead of blaming the Election Commission for its recent poll losses. He said Congress needs to fix its own organisation and leadership.

Yadav questioned why the Opposition does not trust the poll panel. He pointed out that Congress itself won elections in Kerala and Himachal Pradesh under the same system. He asked what a Congress win in Kerala means if the process is really flawed.

His comments came as state Congress prepared for a foot march in Bhopal in support of Rahul Gandhi. This follows the detention of Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders during protests in New Delhi over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision exercise.

Yadav also said India is the world's largest democracy and elections are run under a constitutional framework. He believes electoral defeats should not be used to question constitutional institutions.

Congress leaders in Madhya Pradesh held a protest outside the Election Commission office in Bhopal on Tuesday. The protest came after senior party leaders were detained in Delhi.

Party president Jitu Patwari, LoP Umang Singhar and senior leader Digvijaya Singh were among those who sat in protest. They burned an effigy of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and shouted slogans against CEC Kumar, PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

What sparked the protest

The protest started after Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and around 300 Congress MPs were detained by Delhi police from Akashvani Bhawan. They were on their way to meet the CEC over what they called voter fraud.

Patwari said BJP has formed governments in several states by stealing votes. He also said the Congress will burn effigies of PM Modi and CEC Gyanesh Kumar in every district of Madhya Pradesh. The agitation, he added, will continue until Gyanesh Kumar steps down.

Digvijaya Singh made a stronger claim. He said the Election Commission now works like a BJP outfit. He also pointed to Rahul Gandhi's earlier work on presenting evidence of vote theft in a parliamentary constituency in Karnataka.

LoP Umang Singhar called the protest a fight for the Constitution and the right to vote. He said democracy and institutional checks are being weakened under the current government.

The dharna is part of the INDIA bloc's broader Save Democracy campaign against the ECI. This campaign has been going on during a row over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, which is meant to update voter lists.

Congress workers in Madhya Pradesh are making their stand loud and clear. On Monday, thousands of party workers marched to the Chief Electoral Officer's office in Bhopal to protest the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

The protest started as a focused objection. Now it has turned into a much bigger political fight. The party is openly questioning the credibility of the whole election process, taking direct aim at Election Commission.

Clearly, Congress is setting the tone early in Madhya Pradesh. The size of the march in Bhopal shows the party is serious about pushing back on this issue and making it count with voters.

Congress held big protests across India on Monday, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. Party workers burned effigies and raised slogans in over 1,000 districts, calling the CEC a "traitor" and a "thief."

In Agra, workers sprayed slogans on Kumar's residence gate. Police used water cannons in Jaipur and Bhopal to push back crowds that were trying to break through barricades. Senior leaders like Ashok Gehlot were detained in Jaipur during a march to the State Election Commission office.

The protests picked up speed after it came out that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions made by the poll panel.

What Comes Next

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the party will discuss its next move on Tuesday when the Congress Working Committee meets. The INDIA bloc is also likely to meet on September 30 to plan its push for the CEC's removal and file fresh notices in both Houses of Parliament.

"Gyanesh Kumar will go. But the system that made him do this will also have to answer," Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.

Congress workers in Bhopal held a big protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday. They want him to resign, saying the voting process has problems.

The protesters walked from Madhya Pradesh Congress office towards the Election Commission office. Police stopped them at Board Office Square. Water cannons were used to push back the crowd when they tried to cross barricades.

Congress leaders speak out

Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari said, "Narendra Modi, Gyanesh Kumar, Election Commission and Amit Shah have stolen election mandates in the country, stolen democracy in the country." He also said the protest is about protecting democracy, voter rights and the Constitution.

Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar said Gyanesh Kumar was involved in "vote chori" and that Congress will keep protesting. Patwari added that within two days, calls for Gyanesh Kumar's arrest will be made in every district of the state.

Police let the protesters go after they offered to be arrested. Congress says this fight will continue.