INDIA Bloc Plans Election Commission March On October 6, Five Rallies In October-November
Opposition alliance announces protests over electoral roll concerns.
The Opposition INDIA bloc has announced a series of protests and rallies over its concerns regarding the Election Commission’s handling of electoral-roll revisions. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday that all MPs from non-BJP parties will march to the Election Commission in New Delhi on October 6. The announcement followed a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders focused on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the functioning of the poll panel.
Kharge said the bloc will also organise demonstrations outside district magistrate offices from October 2 to 8 and hold five rallies across the country in October and November. A large rally is planned in Delhi on November 1, while Opposition leaders will seek an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu in the second week of October to present their concerns. The bloc also plans to approach the Supreme Court seeking expedited hearings in cases related to SIR and alleged electoral irregularities.
The INDIA bloc's campaign centres on what Opposition parties call “vote chori” and their concerns over changes to electoral-roll processes. The political response follows an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections on 14 occasions over 10 months regarding decisions connected to the SIR process. The report cited concerns involving voter registration, deletion of names and the centralisation of electoral-roll database operations.
Also Read: Amid Row, EC Scraps SIR Declaration From Form 6 in States Where Revision is Complete
One issue highlighted in the reporting was a change to Form 6, which is used for new voter registration. The Election Commission has since withdrawn the additional SIR-related declaration from the online Form 6 in states where the revision process has been completed. The Commission has also announced measures including a review of its ECINet and electoral-roll software following questions raised about the system.
The Election Commission has maintained that its decisions have been taken through established procedures and has described internal differences as part of institutional deliberations. The political dispute has also reached the legal arena, with the Supreme Court agreeing to hear a petition challenging the functioning of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and aspects of the SIR process. The court's consideration will provide a separate legal forum for examining the issues raised by the petition.
Also Read: CWC Directs Immediate Restoration Of 133 Million Erased Voters, Demands Halting SIR Drive
