Escalating its high-decibel campaign alleging widespread electoral roll irregularities and “vote chori” (vote theft), a 10-member high-profile delegation of INDIA bloc leaders met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday evening, October 9.
The delegation—comprising Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav—submitted a formal four-point memorandum seeking presidential intervention into the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The Opposition’s 4-Point Demand Charter
Briefing reporters after the meeting, TMC MP Derek O’Brien outlined the core demands specified in the joint memorandum submitted to President Murmu:
- Sack CEC Gyanesh Kumar: Immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged institutional bias and administrative lapses.
- Halt Electoral Roll Revision: Immediate cancellation of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise across states.
- Return to Paper Ballots: Scrapping Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and reintroducing paper ballot voting for all future general and state elections.
- Audit Past Election Results: A comprehensive independent review and audit of election outcomes conducted over the past two years.
Culmination of Three Days of Street Protests
The presidential audience follows three consecutive days of street agitations across the national capital by Opposition parliamentarians:
- Tuesday, Oct 6: Opposition MPs attempting to march toward the Election Commission headquarters were intercepted by Delhi Police, leading to the brief detention of Rahul Gandhi and several colleagues.
- Wednesday, Oct 7: A march toward Jantar Mantar was blocked near Tolstoy Marg, resulting in further detentions.
- Thursday, Oct 8: Leaders assembled at Rajghat to offer floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and observe a silent satyagraha, demanding institutional accountability.
Internal Rift Reports at the Election Commission
The Opposition’s agitation comes on the back of reports revealing internal friction within the three-member election body. Documentation surfaced indicating that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded formal dissent and objections on at least 14 separate occasions over the past 10 months, primarily concerning procedural orders executed under the SIR framework.
While the Election Commission maintains that internal differences of opinion form a routine part of institutional decision-making and that all orders carry valid legal backing, the INDIA bloc leaders reaffirmed their resolve to continue nationwide agitations until their demands are addressed.
