CPI(M) leads farmers’ Long March to Mumbai as Left intensifies campaign against Election Chief

In the latest developments, thousands of farmers and rural workers have joined a vehicle long march towards Mumbai on 26 October, while the opposition INDIA bloc is preparing a “people’s impeachment” programme against Kumar on 30 October.

Farmers’ rally and Long March in Maharashtra

A major farmers’ rally was held on 22 October in Akole, in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district, under the leadership of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), alongside the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI). According to the organisers, around 7,000 farmers, agricultural workers and women participated in the mobilisation.

The rally followed a sit-in satyagraha demanding substantial relief for drought-affected farmers. Participants marched through Akole to the local administrative office, submitting a memorandum and thousands of individual applications. Addressing the gathering, AIKS leaders, including national president Ashok Dhawale and national general secretary Vijoo Krishnan, criticised the Maharashtra government’s response to the agrarian crisis.

The protesters rejected the government’s announcement of ₹5,000 in interim drought assistance, arguing that it was grossly inadequate given the extent of crop losses and mounting rural indebtedness. They also raised concerns over delayed payments under the Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi scheme and the exclusion of women from the Ladki Bahin financial assistance scheme.

The demands include adequate compensation based on crop losses, immediate settlement of crop-insurance claims, a ₹2 lakh loan waiver for farmers who have regularly repaid their loans, and land titles for those cultivating forest and other lands. The mobilisation also raises the demands of rural workers for fair wages and social security.

After the sit-in failed to secure the concrete commitments sought by the protesters, the AIKS launched a vehicle long march from Akole towards Mumbai on 26 October. After another massive rally in Akole, approximately 12,000 peasants from more than 20 districts started participating in a convoy of more than 1,000 vehicles. The march is heading towards the state capital, with the protesters intending to bring their demands directly to the Maharashtra government and the chief minister’s official residence, Varsha.

The CPI(M) has presented the mobilisation as an expression of the collective strength of farmers and rural workers. Through the AIKS and its affiliated mass organisations, the party is linking immediate demands for drought relief, debt reduction and crop-insurance payments with broader questions of rural livelihoods and social security. The marchers have declared that the struggle will continue until the government discusses their demands and provides written commitments.

CPI(M) and CPI Intensify Campaign Against Gyanesh Kumar

Alongside the farmers’ mobilisation, the CPI(M) continues to participate in a nationwide campaign demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the suspension of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

The parties and organisations involved argue that the SIR process risks excluding eligible voters and have called for greater transparency and impartiality in electoral administration. These allegations form the basis of their political campaign and remain contested by the Election Commission and the government.

The CPI(M) has organised demonstrations and solidarity actions in several parts of the country. In Kerala, thousands participated in a night march organised by the party’s Malappuram district committee on 19 October. The procession passed through Malappuram town, carrying party flags and placards and demanding Kumar’s resignation. Senior CPI(M) leader A. Vijayaraghavan addressed the gathering, arguing that universal adult suffrage must be defended against any attempt to undermine voting rights.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) has also participated in the campaign. Its leaders have joined joint opposition demonstrations, while its student organisation, the All India Students’ Federation (AISF), has taken part in mobilisations alongside the CPI(M)-linked Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and other youth organisations. The CPI has supported demands for Kumar’s removal and the withdrawal of SIR, making the defence of electoral rights a shared issue for the two communist parties.

M. A. Baby Announces “People’s Impeachment” on 30 October

A further step in the campaign is planned for 30 October, when the INDIA bloc will organise a public programme described as a “people’s impeachment” of Gyanesh Kumar. In an address to the media on preparations for the initiative, CPI(M) General Secretary M. A. Baby said that retired Supreme Court and High Court judges and prominent jurists are expected to participate.

The programme is intended to provide a public forum to present the opposition’s case against Kumar and discuss the functioning of the Election Commission. It will take the form of a mock parliamentary session and impeachment proceeding, rather than a formal constitutional impeachment. The event is scheduled to take place in New Delhi ahead of the INDIA bloc’s joint rally on 1 November.

The initiative follows earlier opposition demonstrations and demands for Kumar’s resignation or removal. The CPI(M) and CPI argue that concerns over electoral-roll revisions, the deletion of voters’ names and changes to electoral procedures require public scrutiny and accountability from the Election Commission.