Opposition parties in Odisha enforced a statewide bandh on Thursday, closing markets and disrupting bus services as the INDIA bloc escalated its campaign to force Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The shutdown ran in parallel with a larger protest calendar in the national capital, where security forces cordoned Jantar Mantar and surrounding roads ahead of a fresh gathering of opposition MPs. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hosted bloc leaders at a Connaught Place restaurant before they prepared to march again, a day after police stopped dozens of legislators who tried to reach the designated protest site without permission.
Odisha feels the pressure beyond Delhi
In Odisha, coalition partners called the bandh to pair their demand for Kumar’s exit with criticism of state School and Mass Education Minister Nityanand Gond, turning a fight centered on the Election Commission into a simultaneous state-level grievance. Activists blocked roads in several districts, and traders who kept shutters down said they feared both political retaliation and vandalism if they ignored the call.
Normal commuting suffered as private bus operators suspended morning services and government offices reported thin attendance. Police deployed additional units at sensitive junctions but largely focused on preventing clashes between rival political workers rather than forcing businesses to open.
Fresh FIRs and tighter security in Delhi
Delhi Police registered a new first-information report naming Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, according to India Today and NDTV accounts of the filing, which police linked to Wednesday’s confrontation near Akashvani Bhawan. That case sits atop an earlier FIR tied to lawmakers entering the broadcasting complex after being denied a march to the Election Commission headquarters.
Authorities also increased protection around Kumar’s residence following what officials described as fresh threat inputs. Kumar already holds Z-plus security, the country’s second-highest category below the Prime Minister’s Special Protection Group cover, with roughly 50 personnel rotating on his home and convoy.
What the bloc wants — and what the government says
Opposition parties accuse the Election Commission of running the SIR exercise in a partisan manner and have demanded Kumar step down before further roll revisions proceed. The government and the commission have defended the review as a statutory cleanup of voter lists, while BJP leaders portray the protests as an attempt to stall enforcement ahead of state elections.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was expected to join the Delhi demonstration Thursday, signaling that the bandh in Odisha is one piece of a multi-state strategy rather than an isolated eastern shutdown. Bloc strategists said more ground actions are likely unless the commission agrees to pause or reframe the revision schedule.
For commuters in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, the immediate question is when operators restart full services; for party managers nationwide, the question is whether coordinated strikes and FIRs harden public opinion or simply deepen the standoff that has now moved from Parliament’s lawns to state highways.