INDIA bloc MPs to meet today, may stage fresh protest over ‘vote chori’

INDIA bloc MPs will meet at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan at 3 pm on Friday and could proceed to stage another protest against alleged “vote chori”, sources said on Thursday, as the Opposition alliance prepared to intensify its agitation against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The sources said the alliance had sought an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu and was considering several options if the meeting was not granted. “All options are on the table,” they said.

Seva Teerth, Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Vice-President's residence, and the residences of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were among the possible venues being considered for the protests, according to the sources.

Friday would mark the fourth consecutive day of demonstrations by the Opposition alliance over alleged irregularities in the electoral process.

Awaiting President's response

Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said the INDIA bloc had requested an appointment with President Murmu and was awaiting a response from Rashtrapati Bhavan.

He said the first request was submitted on October 2, following which Rashtrapati Bhavan sought the names of the leaders who would attend the proposed meeting.

“Accordingly, we submitted the request again on October 5, along with the names, seeking an appointment on October 7, 8 or 9,” Venugopal said.

“So far, we have received no response. We will wait until Friday,” he added.

Last week, the INDIA bloc finalised a joint action plan over the SIR controversy, including rallies and “save democracy” marches to mobilise opposition to the electoral roll revision exercise.

Third day of protests

Intensifying their agitation, INDIA bloc leaders staged a sit-in at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Rajghat on Thursday, alleging that Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Shah and CEC Kumar were involved in a conspiracy to manipulate the electoral process.

The Opposition leaders alleged that the country was being “hijacked” through a criminal conspiracy of “vote chori”, a charge that remains contested.

Thursday's demonstration marked the third consecutive day of protests against the CEC and alleged electoral irregularities. The leaders pledged to continue their agitation until Kumar resigned.

The Rajghat gathering followed two days of protests during which several Opposition leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, were detained and forcibly removed by police.

At Rajghat, the leaders offered floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and prayed for “wisdom to the BJP government and the chief election commissioner”.

Election Commission defends process

The Opposition's renewed campaign follows a report by The Indian Express stating that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections at least 14 times over the preceding 10 months, mostly concerning decisions and orders related to the SIR of electoral rolls.

The report prompted fresh questions from Opposition parties about the Election Commission's internal decision-making process and the handling of electoral roll revisions.

Responding to the controversy, the Election Commission maintained that differences of opinion and observations were a normal part of institutional deliberations.

The poll body asserted that all its orders carried full legal sanction and were issued in accordance with established statutory procedures.

The INDIA bloc has continued to question the transparency and fairness of the SIR exercise, while the Election Commission has defended the legality of its decisions.

With another meeting scheduled for Friday afternoon, the Opposition alliance is expected to decide its next course of action depending on whether it receives an appointment with the President.