India
oi-Ashish Rana
Opposition parties in the INDIA bloc are going to meet in New Delhi on 30 September to discuss the recent dispute with Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The meeting is expected to focus on demand of resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Opposition parties plan to meet in New Delhi on September 30 to discuss the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, while the EC maintains its decisions were unanimous.
Opposition Plans Joint Strategy
The meeting likely to take place in Delhi’s Constitution Club. Opposition parties are supposed to discuss a common strategy and possible protests over Election Commission and SIR.
Their major demand will be for Gyanesh Kumar’s removal. TMC national joint secretary Derek O’Brien said that opposition will continue to raise their demands to Election Commission.
“First, GK (Gyanesh Kumar) has to GO. Certain other demands have been raised as well. Those demands are very much in place, including how a CEC is selected and how SIR was a fraud. We will work unitedly, purposefully and swiftly,” O’Brien said, according to PTI.
Mamata Banerjee Pushes For Opposition Meeting
TMC chief Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday that she had spoken to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi about bringing opposition parties together to discuss the Election Commission issue.
CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby has also contacted opposition leaders to seek wider support. The issue has brought the TMC and Left parties together despite their political differences in West Bengal.
CPI(ML)-Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya welcomed the proposed meeting and called it “long overdue”. He said SIR and Gyanesh Kumar were the “two crucial issues” for the opposition.
Fresh Move To Seek CEC’s Removal
Opposition parties are also preparing another notice seeking Kumar’s removal. According to PTI, the notice may be submitted in both Houses of Parliament after being examined by legal experts.
This would be the opposition’s third attempt to seek his removal. The Congress Working Committee is also scheduled to meet on 29 September to discuss the party’s approach to the issue.
EC Says SIR Decisions Were Unanimous
The political dispute has grown following reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on 14 occasions over decisions linked to the SIR exercise.
The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion of a policy-level split and said all SIR orders were approved unanimously by the three Commissioners. It also said the SIR order issued on 24 June, 2025 was unanimously approved.
The EC has introduced several measures for voters affected by the SIR process, including home visits by Booth Level Officers, help desks and special camps. In Delhi, the deadline for claims and objections has been extended to 30 October, while disposal of notices and claims has been extended to 30 November.
