The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has joined the Opposition’s demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s removal, adding momentum to the campaign hours before opposition leaders were due to meet President Droupadi Murmu on Friday to seek his resignation.
BRS working president K T Rama Rao, a former Telangana minister, said the Constitution and citizens’ voting rights must take precedence over any individual. In a post on X, he called for Kumar to step down and urged the Supreme Court to initiate an independent investigation into alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
“Nothing is greater than the Constitution of India. And no Indian citizen can be stripped of their right to vote. Gyanesh Kumar must go! No individual is above the institution,” Rao wrote.
“This nation has seen many individuals come and go, and it has stayed strong, it has survived beautifully. So why this desperation to protect one man? How can one man be greater than the rights of 1.4 billion Indians?” he asked.
Rao said the time had come for Kumar and anyone attempting to establish a quasi-system that undermined the country’s democratic foundations to step aside. He reiterated the BRS’s demand that the Supreme Court take suo motu cognisance of the alleged irregularities and order an independent investigation led by a sitting judge.
The BRS’s intervention is significant because it is the principal Opposition party in Telangana, where the Congress is in power. Although the BRS has at times extended tacit support to the Narendra Modi government on legislation in Parliament, its latest position aligns it with the Opposition campaign against the Election Commission’s handling of the voter-roll revision.
BRS stand draws welcome from Trinamool Congress
People familiar with the developments said Rao’s post followed outreach by the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC), which sought to broaden support for the demand to remove Kumar.
TMC Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O’Brien welcomed the BRS’s position. However, he indicated that the party was unlikely to join the Opposition’s street protests.
Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had said earlier this month that she was in contact with political parties that opposed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but were not necessarily aligned with the Congress.
The outreach reflects efforts to bring together parties with differing political relationships and histories of cooperation as the Opposition presses for action against the chief election commissioner.
The BRS has also announced a separate protest in Hyderabad on October 10, outside the Telangana chief electoral officer’s office, demanding Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the SIR process. The party has raised concerns about the reported deletion of voters from constituencies represented by its legislators.
Opposition leaders prepare to meet President Droupadi Murmu
The BRS’s statement came as opposition lawmakers prepared to approach President Droupadi Murmu on Friday, seeking Kumar’s removal and raising concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Opposition parties had taken to the streets of Delhi for three consecutive days, with demonstrations and confrontations with police. On Thursday, lawmakers held a sit-in at the Rajghat memorial complex, demanding Kumar’s resignation.
Banerjee arrived in Delhi on Thursday evening to participate in Friday’s march. Before leaving for the capital, she said a request had been made for an appointment with the President.
The INDIA bloc’s planned delegation included prominent Opposition leaders, with the meeting intended to place their concerns about the Election Commission and the SIR exercise before the President.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), another party that has often supported the BJP in Parliament and maintained a distance from the Congress, had also joined the protests on Tuesday, when Opposition lawmakers marched towards the ECI headquarters.
The BJD’s participation and the BRS’s latest statement have widened the range of parties expressing concerns about the electoral-roll revision, although their participation in joint protests has varied.
Dispute centres on allegations of irregularities in voter-roll revision
The Opposition’s campaign intensified after an investigation published by The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times between November 2025 and August 2026 to decisions concerning the SIR and other electoral-roll matters.
According to the investigation, the two commissioners also wrote to the Cabinet Secretary, raising concerns about the process. The report further alleged that election officials’ access to the ECI’s software had been curtailed by the central information technology team.
The revelations triggered fresh questions from Opposition parties about decision-making within the poll panel and the handling of electoral data under Kumar’s leadership.
The ECI has maintained that decisions relating to the SIR were taken by the full commission and has disputed aspects of the reporting about internal disagreements. The allegations remain a central point of contention between the poll panel and Opposition parties.
The BRS has called for an independent judicial investigation, arguing that the allegations warrant scrutiny beyond the Election Commission itself.
Opposition plans nationwide ‘Save Democracy’ campaign
The campaign against Kumar forms part of a broader Opposition initiative titled “Save Democracy”, which includes demonstrations across the country and plans for further rallies.
Opposition parties have scheduled a rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi for November 1. They have also planned six marches from Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Constitution Day, November 26.
In addition, the Opposition intends to hold five large rallies outside Delhi and approach the judiciary seeking expedited hearings in cases connected with the SIR.
The planned actions are aimed at sustaining pressure on the Election Commission and seeking judicial scrutiny of the voter-roll revision process. The demand for Kumar’s resignation has become a central focus of the campaign, with parties seeking to present their concerns to the President and pursue legal remedies.
With the BRS now publicly backing Kumar’s removal, the Opposition has gained support from another major regional party, even as differences remain over participation in joint demonstrations and the broader political strategy.