_{​​​​​​​}New Delhi, October 12: Leaders of the INDIA bloc on Monday marched towards the Supreme Court to submit a petition alleging irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demanding action against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

The march, led by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, saw the participation of several opposition leaders, including former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, and leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

The delegation reached the Barakhamba Road intersection as part of its march towards the apex court. The opposition parties said their representatives would sign and submit a petition highlighting alleged irregularities in the SIR process and seeking action against the CEC.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot alleged that the Election Commission’s actions were illegal and unconstitutional and called for Kumar’s resignation.

“Under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress workers from across the country have gathered here. All of us have just one demand — that the Supreme Court hear us,” Pilot said.

Referring to the opposition’s allegations of “vote chori”, he said the evidence presented by the Congress showed the need to fight to protect democracy. He also accused the government of using the police to suppress protests and alleged that young protesters were being beaten up and opposition leaders detained.

“We want to speak peacefully, in a Gandhian manner. But the police are beating up the youth. Leaders are being jailed. This is wrong. I think the Supreme Court must hear us so that the correct measures can be taken,” Pilot said, reiterating that the CEC should step down.

Samajwadi Party MP Anand Bhadoriya said the march was aimed at demanding the CEC’s resignation and legal action against him. He asserted that the agitation would continue until their demands were met.

CPI General Secretary D. Raja said 10 leaders would sign the petition inside the Supreme Court and submit it on behalf of the INDIA bloc. Raja confirmed that he would be among the signatories.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also questioned the Election Commission’s handling of the SIR exercise, alleging that it appeared to be functioning at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“BJP is still getting fake votes registered. We hope that the Election Commission will stay impartial,” Yadav said.

He pointed out that the SIR exercise had concluded in Uttar Pradesh but alleged that a large number of duplicate entries remained on the electoral rolls. Questioning the effectiveness of the exercise, he said substantial public funds had been spent and officials deployed, yet the alleged discrepancies had not been resolved.

Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav said the protest was not merely a demonstration of the opposition’s strength but reflected a broader demand. “This is not a display of strength, but a demand of the entire country. People are protesting everywhere in the country,” he said.

Despite heavy security arrangements, INDIA bloc leaders pressed ahead with their protest, reiterating their demand for accountability from the Election Commission. The opposition parties said they would continue to raise concerns over the SIR process and the integrity of electoral rolls.