Uttar Pradesh Congress leaders held by police as they defy Chief Election Commissioner

Prelims-testable facts

• 01The protest was held against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on September 25, 2026.
• 02The Congress leaders, including State Congress chief Ajay Rai, were stopped and later detained while trying to march towards the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.
• 03The protesters were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
• 04The protest was part of a nationwide demonstration held in several state capitals, including Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Bhopal, Patna, Guwahati, and others.
• 05Several leaders, including the party's Assam unit chief Gaurav Gogoi in Guwahati and Uttar Pradesh unit chief Ajay Rai in Lucknow, were detained during the protests.
• 06The police used force against the protesters, resulting in a clash between the two parties.
• 07The Congress party accused the Election Commission of an alleged bias and demanded accountability from the Commission.

Trap alerts

• Most people think the Chief Election Commissioner is appointed by the President, but actually the CEC is appointed by the President, in consultation with the Election Commission.
• Most people think the Election Commission is a constitutional body, but actually the Election Commission is a statutory body established under Article 324 of the Constitution.