India
oi-Madhuri Adnal
The INDIA bloc is preparing for another round of protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with opposition leaders set to discuss their next course of action at a meeting on Thursday evening. The meeting will be chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and held through video conferencing, as quoted by ANI sources said.
The discussions will focus on preparations for the opposition bloc’s rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on November 1 and the possibility of further protests in early November. The campaign centres on allegations of “vote chori” and concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The INDIA bloc is planning further protests and a November 1 rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, citing alleged vote theft and electoral roll revision concerns after petitioning the President and Supreme Court.
The opposition’s protests intensified in the second week of October, with leaders, party workers, students and civil society members taking to the streets in Delhi.
On October 9, opposition leaders met President Droupadi Murmu and demanded Kumar’s resignation and the repeal of the 2023 law that provides legal protection to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners for actions taken in the discharge of their official duties. They also sought an immediate halt to the SIR exercise and the restoration of 13.3 crore voters whom they alleged had been wrongly removed from electoral rolls. During the meeting, Murmu sought evidence to support their allegations of vote theft.
On October 12, Rahul Gandhi led opposition leaders and activists in a march through a heavily barricaded route in the national capital before filing a joint petition in the Supreme Court over alleged irregularities in the electoral roll revision process.
The petition, filed by Gandhi, Kharge and other opposition leaders, questioned what they described as the Election Commission’s arbitrary exercise of powers during the SIR. It raised concerns about the electoral rights of eligible citizens and the constitutional guarantee of universal adult suffrage. However, the petitioners clarified that they were not seeking to challenge the validity of the SIR exercise itself.
A day later, Gandhi hosted INDIA bloc leaders for tea at his residence. Following the meeting, opposition leaders vowed to continue their campaign against alleged vote theft.
Preparations for the November 1 rally are underway, with student organisations and civil society groups also expected to participate. Opposition leaders are discussing ways to regain momentum after demonstrations slowed during Navaratri and Durga Puja.
Another proposal under consideration is a mock parliament featuring eminent jurists and former Supreme Court judges. Baby said the event would include a mock trial examining the allegations against Kumar, with a participant also presenting a defence of the Chief Election Commissioner.
The proposed event is intended to highlight the opposition’s charges against Kumar. The allegations remain contested.
Thursday’s meeting is expected to help the INDIA bloc finalise its strategy for the November 1 rally and decide whether to organise further demonstrations in the first week of November.
(with PTI inputs)
