Gyanesh Kumar Yet to Resign as Anti-SIR Protests Continue

New Delhi, October 24, 2026: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has not been reported to have resigned from his post, as demands for his resignation continue amid controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

A purported resignation letter allegedly signed by Kumar and addressed to President Droupadi Murmu went viral on social media in September. However, the Election Commission of India (ECI) dismissed the letter as fake, clarifying that Kumar had not submitted such a resignation.

The controversy follows allegations concerning the functioning of the Election Commission during the SIR exercise. A report by The Indian Express said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised formal objections to certain decisions and procedures related to voter registration, deletion of names and electoral-roll management.

The Election Commission has maintained that its decisions were taken with the approval of the full Commission and has rejected allegations of wrongdoing.

On October 5, the Supreme Court declined to order Kumar's interim suspension while issuing notices to the Centre and the Election Commission on petitions challenging certain decisions allegedly taken without the concurrence of the other commissioners.

Meanwhile, protests demanding Kumar's resignation continued in New Delhi on October 23, with demonstrators also calling for the SIR exercise to be scrapped.

Current status: As of October 24, 2026, no verified announcement of Gyanesh Kumar's resignation has been found. The viral resignation letter was reported as fake, while demands for his resignation remain part of the ongoing political controversy.