Opposition MPs to march to Election Commission on October 6 as INDIA bloc steps up 'vote chori' campaign

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday announced that Opposition MPs would march to the Election Commission of India headquarters in Delhi on October 6, as the INDIA bloc stepped up its campaign over alleged electoral roll irregularities.

Top leaders of the INDIA bloc met in the capital to finalise an action plan for a joint agitation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and to press for chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.

Kharge, the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, also announced five rallies in October and November to highlight the Opposition's "vote chori" allegations.

Former Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who was also present in the meet, called Gyanesh Kumar "Vanish Kumar" and alleged that vote theft was done through a botched SIR exercise and accused the BJP of autocracy. "I cannot move out of the house now", Banerjee claimed.

"If CEC Gyanesh Kumar is not made to resign, then this agitation will be escalated", she added.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi referred to all Opposition leaders as collective defenders of India's Constitution who will bring serious changes in the country.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury reaffirmed Rahul Gandhi's willingness to fight the issue with all Opposition parties unitedly with an open heart.

"We are all trying to point out that the Election Commission's scam and vote theft have been exposed, as has the way this government came to power by stealing votes. Rahul Gandhi has been raising the issue of vote theft for years and has consistently taken up the matter in Parliament, on the streets and in the Supreme Court", the Bengal Congress leader said.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav echoed allegations of large-scale poll irregularities and accused authorities of changing laws to protect chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

"Given the scale of rigging that has taken place throughout the elections, and as revealed by the two Election Commissioners who raised questions, this meeting is being held to address that. If you look at all the elections that have taken place, it has all been fraudulent," Yadav said.

NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad reiterated Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's demand to remove the EVMs and bring back ballot papers.

"With AI interference increasing so much, even major nations are concerned about whether voting should be conducted on machines at all. The machine could be managed by AI and unwanted results could emerge. It is therefore better to return to ballot papers rather than hold elections under the influence of AI", Awhad said.

He cited voting figures in Maharashtra Assembly polls to support his argument, saying turnout was 6 per cent at noon, 9 per cent at 2 pm, 30 per cent at 3 pm, 39 per cent at 5 pm and 51 per cent at 7 pm, before rising to 64 per cent.

The NCP (SP) claimed that many states had reported a similar pattern. Awhad also alleged that Gyanesh Kumar had received an unprecedented level of protection and immunity, claiming that while legal cases could be filed against the Prime Minister, police officers, judges and ordinary citizens, no legal action could be taken against Kumar for life.

Odisha Deputy Leader of Opposition and senior Biju Janata Dal leader Prasanna Acharya said, "We are not part of the INDIA bloc, nor are we part of the NDA. Our longstanding policy has been to remain equidistant from both political fronts and maintain our own position. Our party president, Naveen Patnaik, made it clear from day one that we want the Chief Election Commissioner removed. The way the Chief Election Commissioner is conducting the affairs of the Election Commission is against all democratic norms."

Acharya said the party was particularly concerned about the manner in which the SIR was being conducted, and that names en masse were deleted from electoral rolls. He described the situation as not merely surprising but shocking.

Sources said the draft notice for a fresh bid to move a motion in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha for the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) was ready and would be deliberated upon for approval at the meeting.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal, the TMC's Mamata Banerjee, and leaders from parties such as the SP, CPI, CPI(M), NCP(SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), among others, were present at the meeting.

While the DMK and the AAP skipped the meeting, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav also did not attend on account of nominations for Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh said his party is not part of the INDIA bloc and is therefore not attending the meeting called to discuss issues concerning the Election Commission.

The AAP leader asserted that his party supported the impeachment motion against Gyanesh Kumar and was fighting "from the streets to Parliament".

The Opposition bloc meeting comes days after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected on record at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders on the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) that they said were issued without their knowledge or recommendation.

Under fire over the red flags raised by two of its commissioners over the SIR process, the EC has asserted that differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberations in any institution and all its orders carry full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.

The last meeting of the INDIA bloc had taken place on June 8. Stressing unity against the BJP, the INDIA bloc members had unanimously decided to demand then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET-CBSE row and to write to the Chief Justice of India on the SIR exercise and "vote loot".