New Delhi [India], September 30 (ANI): Presenting a united front against the Election Commission, the INDIA bloc parties on Wednesday demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, a rollback of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), and a return to ballot papers for future elections, sharply escalating its political confrontation with the poll body.
Following an INDIA bloc coordination meeting at the Constitution Club in New Delhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced a nationwide protest programme, saying that INDIA bloc leaders would hold a “Save Democracy March” at the district level from October 2 to October 8. He further said that opposition MPs would march to the Election Commission on October 6, while opposition leaders would meet President Droupadi Murmu in the second week of October to raise concerns over alleged institutional issues.
This prompted criticism from the BJP, with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan attacking the Opposition over its allegations, saying, “If they win, democracy zindabad; if they lose, Election Commission murdabad”, and termed the criticism a result of “frustration after defeat.”
The parties participating in the meeting were Congress, SP, AITC, NCP(SP), SS (UBT), RJD, CPM, CPI, JKNC, JKPDP, JMM, CPI-ML, IUML, KC(M), MDMK, VCK, RSP, KC(J) and AIFB. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav skipped the meeting but sent two SP MPs to attend it.
Listing the bloc’s non-negotiable demands, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal accused the CEC of “rigging” elections.
“Our non-negotiable demands are: Gyanesh Kumar’s immediate removal, use of pre-SIR electoral rolls for all future elections, use of ballot papers and not EVMs and an effective appeals mechanism for all those excluded from the voter rolls, besides protection for genuine voters from exclusion due to technical/administrative reasons,” he said on X.
Addressing the meeting, Kharge said India’s democratic system was built on the principle of “one person, one vote, one value,” and alleged that it was facing a threat.
“Across the country, citizens and political parties are raising grave concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission,” he said. He alleged that questions over EVMs, voter-list manipulation and changes in electoral rolls had not received adequate answers.
On the SIR, Kharge said, “It is shocking that as many as 13.3 Crore voters have blatantly been removed from voter list. Their power to take part in a DEMOCRACY has been snatched.”
“There can be no credible election without an Independent and impartial Election Commission as envisioned in Article 324 of the Constitution,” he added.
Targeting the CEC, Kharge said, “Today our Chief Election Commissioner stands totally exposed. His two fellow members have written 14 times in 10 months! It questions his very integrity and intentions. Therefore, he should be removed from his position. If he has even an iota of Constitutional or moral shame left in him, he will resign himself and turn approver against the powers who are interfering in our electoral rolls.”
Rahul Gandhi said INDIA leaders were personally committed to ensuring that those who destroyed Indian democracy were punished.
It doesn’t matter how senior they are, who they are; Indian democracy is bigger than every single person in this country,” he said. “We are confident that over the next few months, we will make serious changes in the country.”
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the protest would continue till Gyanesh Kumar resigns, and also demanded Prime Minister Modi’s resignation. “We will save democracy. We want your support, students, youth and journalists,” she said.
The meeting brought together parties that are rivals in several states, including the CPI (M) and the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, and Congress and the Left parties in Keralam. Setting aside these state-level differences, they came together as the row continues to escalate.
Significantly, opposition to the CEC extended beyond the INDIA bloc framework. Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Sasmit Patra stated that while his party is not part of the alliance, it demands Gyanesh Kumar’s removal.
Similarly, AAP MP Sanjay Singh said the issue concerning Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was a “national issue” and called for political parties to support a protest scheduled for October 2.
Despite differences with Congress following the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan said his party and the Congress were saying the same thing on Gyanesh KumaR.
“Congress and DMK are saying the same line, that Gyanesh Kumar should be removed. But this does not mean we are a part of the INDIA bloc. Parties like AAP are also not attending today’s meeting, but we are together on the subject of Gyanesh Kumar. If this issue comes up in Parliament, we will support it,” he said.
As it happened, several BJP leaders dismissed the opposition allegations as “frustration” and “ranting” after electoral defeats.
Leading the charge, Shivraj Singh Chouhan questioned the EVM allegations from Congress. “How did Congress win in Karnataka? How did Congress win in Telangana? How did Congress win in Himachal?” He said.
Echoing similar sentiments, Bihar BJP president Sanjay Sarogi said, “Slowly, cracks are appearing even among them. DMK has said that we won’t go, Akhilesh Yadav isn’t going… Whenever elections come, or the opposition loses badly, such meetings happen, and after the meeting, there’s just ranting.”
Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Premchand Bairwa questioned the alliance’s longevity. “Whenever they have formed alliances, those alliances have failed; the reason for this failure is a lack of trust in their modus operandi. I do not believe their alliance will last, or indeed, has ever lasted,” he said.
Targeting the Congress leadership directly, Bihar Minister Ramkripal Yadav argued that deep-seated differences would prevent any meaningful unity withing the opposition. “There is a difference of opinion among them; these people can never unite… Right now, the Congress party is at 99, but under their (Rahul Gandhi’s) leadership, it will drop to 9,” he said.
Downplaying the meeting, West Bengal Minister Shankar Ghosh described the coalition as a reaction to fear of political decline.
“I do not think the INDIA alliance has any real existence. They meet occasionally to serve their own personal interests. Right now, they are fearful about their survival in the political arena, so such meetings take place to save themselves, but nothing will come of it… They are coming together to concoct propaganda to mislead the people; that is all there is to it,” he said.
BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, “They will continue to march to their own tunes and hold endless meetings–with some saying they will attend, while others say they will walk away.”
With the opposition unrelenting on the issue, the stage is set for a bitter political fight, especially with five states going to the polls in 2027. (ANI)
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