NEW DELHI: India’s opposition Congress party on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls, following a recent investigation by The Indian Express into internal objections within the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The demand was made at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision-making body.
We Will Fight Until Every Vote is Secure ✊ pic.twitter.com/XV5S4DRgh5
— Congress (@INCIndia) September 29, 2026
The CWC adopted a resolution calling for the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in several states and the restoration of more than 13 crore, or 130 million, names removed from draft voter lists.
The Congress party’s decision-making body also demanded the resignation of Modi and Shah.
“This brazen vote chori has been organised on behalf of the prime minister and the home minister. Nothing short of their resignation will ensure the safety of our constitution and hard-earned democracy,” the resolution said.
Congress uses the Hindi phrase “vote chori” to describe theft of votes. The allegations have been rejected by the Election Commission, which has said its decisions were unanimous.
The Congress party resolution followed an Indian Express investigation reporting that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions linked to the SIR process.
हमारी मांग साफ है 👇
• मुख्य निर्वाचन आयुक्त ज्ञानेश कुमार तुरंत इस्तीफा दें
• SIR प्रक्रिया को तत्काल रोका जाए
• वोटर लिस्ट से हटाए गए 13 करोड़ 30 लाख नामों को जोड़ा जाए
• ज्ञानेश कुमार ने PM मोदी के इशारे पर वोट चोरी की है, इसलिए PM मोदी भी इस्तीफा दें pic.twitter.com/jJWOTXwDB8— Congress (@INCIndia) September 29, 2026
The report said the objections concerned voter deletions, the registration of new voters and changes to electoral procedures. They also included concerns over changes to Form 6, which is used for voter registration, and access to electoral databases.
The SIR began in Bihar in June 2025 and has since been expanded nationally. According to The Indian Express, more than 13 crore names were struck from draft electoral rolls across 30 states and Union territories during the exercise.
Opposition parties have argued that the process removed legitimate voters, particularly people from vulnerable and minority communities. They have also said that the exercise was aimed at influencing electoral competition in favour of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the party’s campaign was not simply about electoral competition.
“Our fight is now not against any party, institution, or individuals, but to save the rights of India’s voters, the Constitution, and India’s democratic system,” Kharge said in his opening remarks at the CWC meeting.
“We do not see this issue merely as a battle to win or lose an election. Elections come and go, governments come and go, but democracy and the Constitution are permanent. This is the foundation of Indian Democracy,” he added.
The CWC resolution said concerns over the integrity of India’s electoral process had intensified because of a concentration of decision-making in the hands of the CEC.
It alleged that important decisions were being taken without consultation with the other Election Commissioners.
“The unprecedented concentration of control over electoral rolls in the hands of a few BJP-backed officials during the nationwide SIR serves as the last nail in the coffin of the ECI’s credibility,” the resolution said.
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal said the issue would be raised at a meeting of the opposition INDIA alliance on Wednesday.
“Tomorrow there is an INDIA alliance meeting, Congress certainly wants a massive agitation to save democracy in this country with the help of all political parties. There we will formalise the clear action plan for future agitation,” he said.
Opposition parties have also called for an independent investigation into the functioning of the Election Commission and the SIR exercise.
मोदी इस्तीफा दो pic.twitter.com/WpUUEabl7L
— Congress (@INCIndia) September 29, 2026
The dispute has already reached India’s Supreme Court. The court agreed on Tuesday to hear next week a petition challenging the functioning of the CEC and seeking to declare the nationwide SIR exercise illegal.
The latest Congress demands come after opposition parties intensified pressure on Kumar following the Indian Express investigation.
The report said Sandhu and Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over decisions they said were taken without their knowledge.
Congress and other opposition parties have demanded Kumar’s resignation and called for judicial or independent scrutiny of the Election Commission’s functioning.
Congress leader Pawan Khera said on social media that if decisions relating to the SIR had been taken without the knowledge or approval of two of the three Election Commissioners, the decisions and the wider exercise would be legally invalid.
