The Congress-led Opposition has staged repeated street demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. While earlier turnouts were largely dominated by Congress workers, NSUI leaders, and Left-wing cadres, that dynamic visibly shifted during the Opposition’s march towards the Supreme Court on Monday.
The Opposition's march appears to be gaining momentum, with more people joining the protests. Forty-five-year-old Rajkumar says, “I started coming to CJP protests whenever I could, and now this is my first time joining the Opposition march against Gyanesh Kumar because the BJP has destroyed our democracy.”
This marks a possible shift in Opposition politics, as its protests had largely been able to mobilise party cadres. However, after the CJP protests on October 10 were curtailed by the BJP-ruled government, several students, journalists and even people going about their daily commutes were detained. Some protesters now appear to be joining the Opposition's demonstrations. Political observers see this as a potentially significant development for the Opposition.
As public anger grows, the Opposition is also trying to sustain its momentum. At his latest press conference, Rahul Gandhi said that the Opposition would not back down. He said the struggle would not be limited to days, weeks or months and that they would continue for as long as necessary. “Because we are on the side of truth and we know we will win it,” he said.
The Congress, in particular, has struggled to mobilise people on the ground for a long time. Rahul Gandhi was among the first prominent leaders to allege that votes were being stolen and to call for the Opposition to unite around the issue. Now, after years of campaigning on the issue, his narrative appears to be gaining traction among sections of the public.
“We are students. Whether it is CJP or Congress, we want accountability from the government, and whoever leads us in this, we will support them,” says Radhika, a college student.
There is also a sense of understanding in the crowd that the detentions on 10th October have prompted people to come out on the streets in this fresh wave of protests.
According to political observers, this could be an important moment for the Opposition and a sign that it may be regaining legitimacy among sections of the public.
“Everybody is convinced that there is 'vote chori'. The way they are doing it in different formats, and SIR was one of its formats. In the South, they were not able to do it because they are not the main players,” says Manickam Tagore, a Congress Lok Sabha MP.
“The man behind the scenes is more important. As Rahul Gandhi has said, 'Gyanesh Kumar is just a tool'. We have come here to march for democracy. The energy is the most important thing. All INDIA bloc partners are together; students and people are together. That is important,” he adds.
