Stories
INDIA Bloc to Meet Tomorrow: Key Opposition Leaders to Discuss Strategy Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, EVMs, VVPAT, and SIR
- •The INDIA bloc will hold a high-level meeting on September 30 in New Delhi to discuss a common strategy regarding CEC Gyanesh Kumar, EVMs, VVPAT, and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
- •Key attendees include Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee, Tejashwi Yadav, Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, and leaders from Left parties, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
- •The agenda focuses on a proposed removal motion against CEC Kumar, collecting signatures from opposition MPs, demanding his resignation, and planning nationwide protests.
- •Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party will skip the meeting due to prior commitments and ongoing seat-sharing negotiations with Congress for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
- •The DMK, AAP, and BJD will not attend the meeting, with DMK having snapped ties with Congress and AAP progressively distancing itself from the INDIA bloc.
Key Questions Answered
The INDIA bloc meeting scheduled for September 30, 2026, at the Constitution Club in New Delhi is set to focus on a joint strategy regarding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, EVMs, VVPAT, and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Key agenda points include discussing a removal motion against CEC Kumar in Parliament along with signature collection, intensifying demands for his resignation and an impartial inquiry, and establishing a framework for nationwide protests in poll-bound states like Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
Several parties are skipping or staying away from the September 30 meeting. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is not attending in person due to prior commitments and upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, sending senior leaders instead. Additionally, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Aam Janata Party (AAP) are not participating, while the DMK officially confirmed it would not remain part of the alliance after Congress severed ties.
The immediate catalyst for the opposition's mobilization is a September 23 report published in The Indian Express revealing internal friction within the Election Commission of India over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The report detailed that election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded formal objections 14 times over a span of 10 months, prompting opposition parties to demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation and push for his removal.
