INDIA bloc leaders in Bihar urge people to unite, save Constitution

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CPI (ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, with his party workers, stage a protest to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Gandhi Maidan, in Patna on Friday, October 2, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI

Leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc on Friday (October 2, 2026) said that the people’s right to vote is under attack, and votes are being stolen. The leaders said this during the Save Democracy March organised in the state capital, Patna, in which the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties participated.

Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya led the march from Gandhi Maidan after paying floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Bhattacharya asserted that today Gandhi’s land is ruled by those who follow Godse and the law and the Constitution are being openly flouted.

He alleged that elections are being influenced in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the leadership of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

He pointed out that leaders and citizens who arrived to protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi were detained, adding that although the government itself has designated Jantar Mantar as a site for protests, people are being prevented from holding peaceful demonstrations there.

“On Gandhi Jayanti - a day when the entire nation should be pledging to uphold democracy and civil rights - those accused of vote theft are being shielded, while protesters are being arrested. This is utterly shameful,” he said.

Mr. Bhattacharya demanded the immediate reinstatement of names deleted from the voter list and sought the CEC’s resignation. He also urged an overhaul of the appointment process for Election Commissioners to ensure transparency and fairness.

He explained that the law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners was amended in 2023, and this change granted the government a decisive role in appointing Election Commission members while simultaneously providing legal protection to the Election Commissioners regarding their official duties.

Mr. Bhattacharya argued that such a system raises serious questions about the Election Commission’s independence and accountability. He asserted that the legal protection afforded to Election Commissioners should be revoked, and the Election Commission should be made entirely independent and accountable.

He highlighted that the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections serve as crucial political contexts for the SIR issue.

“The National Democratic Alliance returned to power in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections by a very narrow margin. Meanwhile, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had raised the slogan of crossing the ‘400-seat mark’ but was restricted to 240 seats. Today, the Narendra Modi government at the Centre is running with the support of an alliance,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.

He added that following these two elections, a process of tampering with voting rights and voter lists began, asserting that a large number of names were removed from the voter list under the guise of SIR.

“Gandhi Jayanti is a day not only to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi but also to pledge to uphold his ideals and protect the democratic rights,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.

He stated that the battle to safeguard the right to vote and save democracy would be a long one, and the people of the country must unite and fight against any assault on the Constitution, democracy and the citizens’ right to vote.

RJD leaders including former minister Alok Kumar Mehta, State General Secretary Ranvijay Sahu, former MLA Anwar Alam, along with party spokesperson Ejaz Ahmed participated in the march.

Mr. Ahmed said that the agitation against the CEC will continue and, as part of this movement, leaders and workers of the INDIA bloc, along with Members of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha), will march to the Election Commission office in New Delhi on October 6, 2026.

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