Rahul Gandhi, who holds the Leader of Opposition post in Lok Sabha, has drawn increased attention for his visible presence at street-level demonstrations, with party figures noting that he has been joining opposition colleagues more frequently to raise public concerns through direct protest activity. A shift in how the former Congress president is perceived within party circles has drawn notice from a number of veteran figures, who point to a transition in his public image — from one characterised by infrequent on-the-ground presence to a politician now seen engaging directly at the grassroots level.
Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who holds the Wayanad parliamentary seat, were among those gathered at India Gate on a Wednesday evening in a show of solidarity with the family of Ankita Bhandari, whose parents have been calling for accountability over her death. Telephone calls began reaching a number of Congress leaders in the period following his arrival, while heads of various frontal organisations took up positions on the ground and others moved to join the demonstration.
Gathered outside the Prime Minister's residence on 21 July — a date that also happened to be Mallikarjun Kharge's birthday — Rahul Gandhi, his sister, Kharge, and KC Venugopal, who holds the post of General Secretary (Organisation) within the party, staged a demonstration that placed Congress lawmakers and senior members on notice, while partners in the INDIA bloc signalled their willingness to join any subsequent action. The Congress party, joined by INDIA bloc members, proceeded with a planned march from Parliament to the Election Commission office.
According to an insider connected to the party, Gandhi has been selectively briefing a circle of close associates, who then relay information to others via phone calls and messaging platforms. Attendance records for legislators from both Congress and the broader INDIA bloc are being tracked by the party, with a particular focus on which members take part in demonstrations held in the capital.
Among those who took part in the procession to the Supreme Court were Akhilesh Yadav, Supriya Sule, Sanjay Raut, NK Premachandran, and D Raja, alongside a number of other participants. The party also raised the possibility of bringing in civil society organisations and student activist groups aligned with other parties to mount a coordinated challenge against the BJP-led administration and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of electoral irregularities and the ongoing SIR exercise.
The INDIA bloc's planned protest march on 30 September was prompted by a media report revealing internal disagreement within the Election Commission of India over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) — a development that Congress has pointed to as supporting its position on what it describes as "vote chori." Separately, a party functionary with experience across multiple protest actions noted that a coordinating team around Rahul Gandhi — comprising Priyanka Gandhi, Srivatsa, Alankar Sawai, KB Byju, Venugopal, and Manish Sharma — has taken on a central role in managing communications and overseeing the execution of the plan.
Three aides — Alankar, Srivatsa, and Byju — who manage Gandhi's schedule and events are reported to have been assigned an additional role: channelling information and plans to Venugopal, who in turn liaises with allied parties and the party's own MPs. Those lawmakers who were absent from the opening two days of demonstrations were tracked down and told to attend the rallies scheduled to follow.
Gandhi's request to Venugopal included a breakdown of which MPs had taken part in the protests and which had stayed away. Reports of Gandhi personally monitoring attendance prompted a number of MPs to travel to the capital and take part in the procession from Parliament to the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Prior to the procession toward the Supreme Court, party members received a directive to gather in the capital and take part in the walkout starting at Barakhamba Road.
