New Delhi, October 2026: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday said the Congress and INDIA bloc would continue their agitation from the streets to Parliament until Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resigns, amid an escalating political confrontation over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Speaking to reporters outside the Barakhamba Road Police Station, where Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had been detained during the ongoing protests, Revanth Reddy said the movement would continue until the demand for the CEC's resignation was addressed. He also warned that if the situation escalated further, Prime Minister Narendra Modi could face demands to step down.
“So this movement is not going to stop here. It will go from the streets to Parliament to save the Constitution, which is what the INDIA alliance is trying to do,” Reddy said.
The Telangana Chief Minister had arrived in Delhi along with Revenue Minister P. Srinivasa Reddy to express solidarity with Rahul Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders who were detained during the protests for the second consecutive day. He said the repeated detention of opposition leaders would not stop the campaign.
“To secure the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, the fight continues from the streets to Parliament. Every day they detain Rahul ji and set the police on him. Every day this government tries to attack, and that is not right at all. We are not going to let this go,” he said.
The protests have centred on allegations of irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have demanded that the SIR exercise be withdrawn and have accused the Election Commission of affecting the voting rights of eligible citizens. The Election Commission, however, has maintained that the electoral-roll revision process includes procedures for claims and objections and that entries identified during the exercise are not automatically treated as final deletions.
Reddy alleged that the Narendra Modi-led government had previously used central investigative agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation during elections. He further alleged that, after those methods did not produce the desired results in states including Bihar, Maharashtra and West Bengal, the Election Commission was now being used to influence electoral outcomes.
“ECI was created to ensure that every citizen has the right to vote, so that people can choose their own government. This is what the Constitution guarantees,” Reddy said.
He alleged that poor, illiterate and socially disadvantaged voters were being deprived of their electoral rights. He also referred to Rahul Gandhi’s allegations concerning the electoral-roll revision and claimed that the government was attempting to use the Election Commission to influence elections.
Drawing a parallel with the historic “Simon Go Back” movement, Reddy said the current agitation had taken the slogan “GK, SIR Go Back”. He reiterated that Gyanesh Kumar should resign and said Prime Minister Modi should accept the resignation and apologise to the nation.
The Chief Minister also referred to the farmers’ agitation against the three farm laws, saying the prolonged protests eventually led to their withdrawal by the Centre in 2021. Reddy argued that a similar public movement could force the government to reconsider the SIR exercise.
“The people won, and he had to withdraw the laws and apologise as well. However stubborn PM Modi may be today, Gyanesh Kumar's resignation will have to be accepted, and an apology will also have to be given,” he said.
Reddy described the ongoing agitation as a people’s movement rather than one confined to the Congress. He said the INDIA bloc was seeking to protect constitutional rights and ensure that eligible citizens were able to exercise their right to vote.
“We have come out on the streets to save the Constitution. But this government has gone deaf and blind and is not willing to listen. So the entire public has come out on the streets,” he said.
The protests have continued to draw a strong response from both sides, with opposition leaders demanding accountability from the Election Commission while the poll body continues to defend the electoral-roll revision process. The INDIA bloc has indicated that its campaign will continue, with Rahul Gandhi also declaring that the protests would not stop until Gyanesh Kumar resigns.
Reddy warned that the agitation would intensify if the CEC did not resign. “When people raise their voice, the government will have to listen. If it does not, the government will not survive,” he said.
