INDIA Bloc Meets Over SIR, CEC Gyanesh Kumar
Opposition parties discuss joint strategy as Congress pushes for wider agitation and transparency in electoral rolls
- INDIA bloc leaders meet in Delhi over SIR and CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
- Congress seeks wider opposition action on electoral-roll revision.
- Opposition demands greater transparency and voter appeal mechanisms.
- Election Commission defends SIR as a lawful roll-verification exercise.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 30th Sept: Leaders and representatives of more than 20 parties of the INDIA bloc met at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss their response to the ongoing controversy over the Election Commission’s functioning, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The meeting comes a day after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) demanded the removal of Kumar and called for changes to the SIR process. The INDIA bloc is discussing a coordinated course of action, including public mobilisation and parliamentary measures, over the issue.
The meeting is the opposition alliance’s first major gathering since the latest escalation in the dispute over electoral-roll revision.
Sonia, Rahul and Kharge represent Congress
Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge are attending the meeting. The Samajwadi Party has sent MPs Harendra Malik and Maulana Mohibbullah Nadvi, with party chief Akhilesh Yadav opting not to attend because of the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections, according to the party.
Other leaders associated with the meeting include Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Supriya Sule of NCP (SP), CPM general secretary M.A. Baby, CPI general secretary D. Raja, CPI(ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya and Independent MP Kapil Sibal.
Opposition plans wider campaign
The bloc is discussing a broader campaign against the SIR exercise and its concerns regarding the Election Commission.
Reports indicate that opposition parties are considering nationwide protests and public rallies, along with a possible parliamentary motion seeking the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner. The issue has already triggered protests by opposition parties in several states.
The Congress has also sought greater disclosure of electoral-roll data and opportunities for voters whose names have been deleted to appeal.
Kharge raises five demands
At Tuesday’s CWC meeting, Kharge alleged that the government and Election Commission were undermining democratic institutions. His description of the CEC as a “puppet” was a political allegation by the Congress, rather than an established fact.
Kharge outlined five demands concerning the electoral-roll revision. These include making data on changes to electoral rolls public, giving deleted voters an opportunity to appeal, providing political parties with electoral rolls in a usable format within the required timeframe, conducting independent and time-bound investigations into serious anomalies, and increasing transparency in the electoral process.
The Congress has argued that these measures are necessary ahead of elections scheduled in several states in 2027.
Election Commission defends SIR
The Election Commission and government sources have rejected the opposition’s criticism of the CEC and the SIR exercise.
Their position is that SIR is a lawful electoral-roll revision exercise intended to identify dead, duplicate, shifted and otherwise ineligible entries, while retaining eligible voters on the rolls.
The Commission’s position contrasts with opposition allegations that the revision could lead to legitimate voters being excluded. The competing claims remain part of the ongoing political and legal dispute.
The Election Commission has also faced scrutiny over reported differences among its three commissioners concerning aspects of the SIR process. The Indian Express has reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised multiple objections over issues including electoral-roll database access and changes to voter-registration procedures.
Focus on electoral-roll transparency
The INDIA bloc meeting is expected to focus on how opposition parties can jointly pursue their demands over the SIR process while ensuring that eligible voters have access to the claims and appeals mechanisms.
The government and Election Commission, meanwhile, maintain that the purpose of the exercise is to improve the accuracy of electoral rolls through verification.
With the final outcome of the SIR process and further legal and political developments still pending, the dispute is expected to remain a major issue for opposition parties and the Election Commission in the months ahead.
