India Alliance Leaders Meet, Demand Immediate Exit of Gyanesh Kumar

Senior leaders of the India Alliance convened for a lunch organized by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday, using the occasion to press for the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The meeting, held at a restaurant in the national capital, was attended by senior figures from the alliance and the Congress party.

K.C. Venugopal explained that the alliance had already approached President Droupadi Murmu on October 2, seeking a dialogue on the commissioner’s alleged partiality. The President’s office responded by requesting a comprehensive list of participants, which the alliance promptly supplied, ensuring representation from all blocks of the coalition.

The gathering also addressed recent police actions against opposition protesters at Jantar Mantar and outside the Election Commission office. Congress members accused the Delhi police of deploying an overwhelming number of officers – more than 40,000 for a crowd of roughly 200 – to suppress peaceful dissent, calling the response "inhumane" and a threat to democratic freedoms.