The opposition's battle with the Election Commission moved from the streets to a drawing room on Tuesday. Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi hosted INDIA bloc leaders, opposition MPs and student groups for a high-tea meeting at his New Delhi residence on October 13, a day after their march towards the Supreme Court was stopped at police barricades. Hours earlier, he told reporters that the campaign would go on "whether tomorrow, the day after, in three months, six months, a year, or two years".
The BJP responded with a barrage of its own. Union Minister Piyush Goyal called Rahul Gandhi the "biggest red flag" for the Congress and dared him to answer ten questions on the party's "vote theft" allegations.
Background: why the opposition is protesting
The row centres on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the functioning of the Election Commission under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Opposition parties allege large-scale wrongful deletion of voters. The Election Commission has maintained that roll revisions follow established legal procedures.
On Monday, leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and several allies marched towards the Supreme Court and then filed a petition challenging the Commission's decisions on SIR. The court registry has flagged 14 defects in the petition, which the legal team has sought time to fix. Chief Justice Surya Kant had earlier declined a request from Rahul Gandhi and Kharge for a meeting, saying the matter was sub judice.
Key moments from Tuesday
| Event | Details |
|---|---|
| Date | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 |
| Venue | Rahul Gandhi's residence, New Delhi |
| Arrivals reported | Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal |
| Invitees | INDIA bloc leaders, opposition MPs, student organisations |
| BJP response | Piyush Goyal's press conference with "10 questions" |
| Petition status | Supreme Court registry flagged 14 defects |
What Rahul Gandhi said
Speaking at a press conference in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi said his team was "not going to stop" and would continue until it reached its goal. He refused to spell out the next steps, saying, "I cannot tell you exactly how we will get there, because that would spoil the surprise."
He said the party respected the Supreme Court and the judiciary, but added that "political resistance will continue, people's resistance will continue, and it will triumph". He again blamed the government and the Chief Election Commissioner for what he described as an attack on democracy, and thanked people in Delhi for standing with the opposition.
Ahead of the tea meeting, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate dismissed BJP criticism as a sign of frustration. Asked what comes next, she said, "With Rahul-ji, one must be ready for anything."
The BJP's counter-attack
At a separate press conference, Piyush Goyal accused Congress of hypocrisy in questioning election authorities. He pointed out that Congress leaders such as Shashi Tharoor and Ramesh Chennithala had linked the party's Kerala performance to the SIR process, and that Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had praised the Commission's handling of the West Bengal polls. He described the vote-theft claims as "baseless and false".
Other BJP leaders joined in. MP Jagdambika Pal said Rahul Gandhi was "misleading the country to defame constitutional institutions", while Uttar Pradesh minister Dayashankar Singh said the protests were about Congress's anger over electoral defeats.
What it means
The high-tea meeting is the opposition's attempt to turn a series of street protests into a sustained, coordinated campaign before Parliament meets again. Bringing student groups and civil society into the same room suggests the INDIA bloc wants the issue to reach beyond party workers.
For the BJP, the strategy is to paint the campaign as a reaction to election losses and to question why the same opposition parties accept results where they win. With both sides digging in, the electoral roll debate is likely to dominate national politics for weeks.
What happens next
- The opposition's Supreme Court petition is expected to be listed once its defects are corrected.
- Rahul Gandhi has hinted at further action but has not announced dates.
- Opposition parties have earlier spoken about moving a motion seeking the CEC's removal, and several state units, including the TMC in Kolkata, are holding their own protests.
Whether Tuesday's meeting produces a concrete joint programme will become clear in the coming days.
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