New Delhi, Oct 13: Congress leader & Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday indicated that the INDIA bloc would continue its campaign against the government over the functioning of the Election Commission (EC), but declined to disclose the opposition’s next move, saying he did not want to “spoil the surprise”.
According to The Times of India, Gandhi made the remarks while addressing reporters at a joint briefing of opposition parties at his residence, where he hosted leaders for evening tea. He said the protests would continue until the opposition achieved its objective.
“Sooner or later, whether tomorrow, the day after, in three months, six months, a year, or two years, it (protests) will not stop. It will reach the end goal. I cannot tell you exactly how we will get there, because that would spoil the surprise, and we want to maintain the excitement and sense of surprise for you and the country,” Rahul Gandhi said.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha asserted that the Congress-led INDIA bloc would sustain its campaign with the same energy, strength and unity with which it had mobilised against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Gandhi also expressed respect for the Supreme Court and Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, while making it clear that the opposition would continue its political campaign irrespective of the outcome of judicial proceedings.
“Thank you to the Supreme Court—we have immense respect for the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice of India, and the Indian judicial system. They have a role to play, and we hope they will play it. However, we are political people; no matter what happens, or which institution plays a role or doesn’t, political resistance will continue, people’s resistance will continue, and it will triumph,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi’s remarks came a day after he and 10 other opposition leaders approached the Supreme Court in the matter. The petition names the Election Commission, CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi as respondents.
Gyanesh Kumar, who became Chief Election Commissioner in 2025 after serving on the Election Commission, has repeatedly faced allegations from opposition parties of favouring the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The allegations have been contested amid the wider political debate over the functioning and impartiality of the poll body.
The latest developments have brought the Election Commission’s decision-making process and the SIR exercise under renewed political and judicial scrutiny, with the opposition signalling that its campaign will continue alongside the proceedings in the Supreme Court.
