New Delhi : The row over the Election Commission is set to feature at the INDIA bloc meeting in New Delhi on September 30. Opposition parties are expected to coordinate their response to the SIR exercise, while the BJP has defended the poll panel and its voter-roll verification process.
Is Gyanesh Kumar in trouble? INDIA bloc set to map out battle against CEC from parliament to streets
The INDIA bloc is set to meet in the national capital on Wednesday (September 30) to work out a joint strategy against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The meeting will take place at the Constitution Club of India. The agenda includes a proposed removal motion against the CEC and plans for a series of protests across the country.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) had set out its position a day earlier. It demanded Kumar’s immediate resignation, suspension of the SIR exercise and restoration of 13.3 crore names that have been removed from electoral rolls. The CWC also demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over its allegations about the election process.
The INDIA bloc meeting will take up these demands and discuss future strategies in Parliament and outside it. Opposition parties are expected to work on a joint protest programme that could include public rallies and demonstrations in Delhi and state capitals. The proposed plan includes a large gathering at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan. The parties are expected to discuss the date for the rally at the meeting.
The removal motion against the CEC is another major part of the proposed strategy. Opposition parties are expected to discuss collecting signatures from MPs and the next steps for moving the motion in Parliament.
Who will attend the INDIA bloc meeting?
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are expected to represent the Congress. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee will also attend the meeting.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule and Left leaders are among those expected to participate.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren is expected to join through video conference. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray is also expected to participate virtually.
Leaders from the Kerala Congress, Thol. Thirumavalavan-led Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), which is headed by Vaiko, are expected to attend.
Rajasthan’s Rashtriya Loktantrik Party and Bharat Adivasi Party have also been mentioned among the parties being considered for participation. Independent Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal is expected to attend the meeting.
The list also shows some parties will not attend the meeting. The Aam Aadmi Party has decided not to attend the meeting. AAP MP Sanjay Singh said the party is no longer part of the INDIA bloc, while making it clear that AAP would support a removal motion against CEC Kumar if it is brought in Parliament.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has also decided to skip the meeting. The party has said it supports the issue being taken up in Parliament.
Why Akhilesh Yadav will skip the meeting
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav will also not attend the Delhi meeting. The SP will be represented by its Rajya Sabha MP Harendra Malik.
Akhilesh has said he will be in Lucknow for the nomination of his party’s Rajya Sabha candidates. Congress President Kharge and General Secretary Venugopal have have contacted him regarding the meeting.
His absence coincides with ongoing preparations by the Congress and the SP for seat-sharing talks for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.
Congress leaders have rejected suggestions that his absence from the INDIA bloc meeting has anything to do with the negotiations. The SP has maintained that the Lucknow programme is the reason for his decision to skip the Delhi meeting.
From Parliament to streets: The CWC resolution has given the INDIA bloc a clear political line for the September 30 meeting. It called for Kumar’s resignation, suspension of the SIR and restoration of the 13.3 crore names that were removed from the electoral rolls. The party also said it would pursue the issue in Parliament, courts and through public demonstrations.
It has also referred to reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised objections on 14 occasions over 10 months on decisions and procedures related to the SIR. The EC has claimed that all decisions on the SIR were unanimous and approved by all three members of the poll panel.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition challenging the way the EC has been functioning. The plea argues that powers vested in the multi-member commission cannot be exercised only by the CEC. The court is scheduled to take up the matter next week.
The political campaign is visible in states. Congress units in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh held rallies on Monday (September 28) demanding te CEC’s resignation and restoration of votes deleted during SIR.
