Anti-CEC protest: BKU joins stir, warns against targeting Dhruv Rathee

Farmers under the banner of Bharatiya Kisan Union’s (BKU) Tikait faction on Saturday (October 10, 2026) protested at district headquarters across western Uttar Pradesh seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Delhi Police detained a delegation led by national general secretary Yudhvir Singh while it was on its way to Jantar Mantar. “Jantar Mantar is a spot where any Indian can peacefully express discontent. Delhi Police’s behaviour was improper. We were taken around the city for more than three hours in a vehicle meant for heinous criminals and kept in detention at the Mundka police station. Some of our members have been held in Dwarka,” he said.

The senior farmer leader, a special invitee on the Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Central Parliamentary Board, said he would raise the issue in the right forum. As an NDA constituent, farmers traditionally form the party’s core vote bank. “This is not the time to look into narrow political interests. I admire [Union Minister] Chirag Paswan for taking a stand in support of young protesters,” he told The Hindu.

Mr. Singh, also the general secretary of the All India Jat Mahasabha, said the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise didn’t affect one group and that the farmers strongly support the young protesters. “(YouTuber) Dhruv Rathee is our child. If they target him, we will not hold back. If the police have weapons, we are known to use our agricultural tools as weapons in times of adversity,” he said. Describing the protests as a watershed moment in India’s history, the farmer leader said the country had won democracy after more than 700 years of struggle. “We will not let it go easily.”

He said senior BKU leader and national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait, who was in Pune on Saturday, would soon join the protest.

Calling the protest a success, Mr. Singh said the government’s rigid approach, including deploying paramilitary forces, cancelling trains, and shutting down Delhi Metro, has amplified the protest’s message. “Protests are about sending a message. The unprecedented measures like calling in paramilitary forces and six-layer barricading have sent a message across the country that the government is under fear and hiding something. Election Commission of India is an independent body. If it is working under someone’s pressure, it should come to light,” he said.

The call, he added, was not against the BJP government. “It is about seeking answers from the commission after news reports suggested that the CEC is taking illegal decisions without consultation, but the BJP has taken upon itself to defend Gyanesh Kumar.”