Archive · 12 Oct 2026
Odisha INDIA Bloc Protesters Demand Election Chief’s Resignation
Hundreds of Opposition supporters in Odisha held a protest on Sunday.
They were upset about what they called police action against protests in Delhi.
They asked Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign.
They also want people whose names were removed from voter lists to be added back.
The protesters called for using paper ballots instead of electronic voting machines.
They proposed a new committee to choose the chief election commissioner.
Congress leaders said more than 200 people from Odisha had gone to Delhi.
They planned to join a rally there on Monday.
Hundreds of INDIA bloc activists protested near Lower PMG Square on Sunday.
The demonstration was described by organizers as a symbolic protest against alleged police action during Opposition protests in Delhi.
Protesters demanded Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and the restoration of names deleted from electoral rolls.
They also called for replacing electronic voting machines with ballot papers and changing the process for appointing the chief election commissioner.
Congress leaders said more than 200 leaders from Odisha had left for Delhi to attend a rally scheduled for Monday.
- Who
- INDIA bloc activists and Congress leaders from Odisha.
- What
- Activists protested and demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, restoration of deleted voter-list names, paper ballots, and changes to the chief election commissioner’s appointment process.
- When
- The Odisha protest took place on Sunday; a rally in Delhi was scheduled for Monday.
- Where
- The protest marched from Master Canteen Square to Lower PMG Square in Odisha; the planned rally was in Delhi.
- Why
- Organizers said the demonstration protested alleged police excesses during Opposition protests in Delhi.
- Protest turnout
- Hundreds of INDIA bloc activists
- Protest route
- Master Canteen Square to Lower PMG Square
- Leaders heading to Delhi
- More than 200, according to Congress leaders
- Planned Delhi rally
- Scheduled for Monday
- Election chief named
- Gyanesh Kumar
- Appointment proposal
- A committee comprising the Prime Minister, the leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of India