Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar pulled the plug on his two‑day trip to Chhattisgarh, which was slated for Oct. 7‑8, 2026. The state’s Chief Electoral Officer said the schedule was cancelled for ‘unavoidable reasons’ and a new date would be set later. It marks the second time in just weeks a CEC tour has been scrubbed.
Earlier this year, Kumar’s planned visits to Meerut and Varanasi were also called off after the Election Commission faced criticism over its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls. Those postponements came amid accusations that the SIR altered Form 6 entries and could skew election outcomes.
The latest delay follows a sit‑in in Delhi where Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and a group of opposition MPs occupied Akashvani Bhavan, demanding the CEC step down. Police removed the leaders after several hours, and Rahul described the Commission as a ‘tool of vote theft’.
Congress leaders have repeatedly called for Kumar’s resignation, citing manipulation of electoral rolls and a perceived attempt to engineer voter numbers. The party’s spokesperson said the SIR could undermine the integrity of the upcoming elections.
The controversy will be thrust back into the spotlight when Parliament convenes on Oct. 10, 2026, to debate the SIR reforms. A motion to investigate the Commission’s practices is expected to move forward.