The political standoff over Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is intensifying, with Congress and other Opposition parties pushing for his removal and seeking further action over the SIR exercise. DMK chief MK Stalin has also demanded Kumar's removal and a halt to SIR. Meanwhile, BJP leaders continue to back the CEC, while allies Chirag Paswan and KC Tyagi have called for greater clarity from the Election Commission. The ECI maintains that SIR-related decisions were unanimously approved by all three Election Commissioners.