Protests, EC March, November 1 rally
Amid the row over a rupture in the Election Commission (EC), the leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc on Wednesday announced a joint action plan against various alleged poll irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Their planned agitation would include protests across the country, a march by the Opposition MPs to the EC headquarters, and a mega rally in Delhi on November 1.
These decisions were taken at a three-and-a-half-hour meeting of the grouping in Delhi, which was attended by the leaders of 19 parties and Independent MP Kapil Sibal.
Among the Opposition faces who attended the meeting were the Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi; Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee; Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah; RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav; NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule; PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti; CPI(M) chief M A Baby; CPI(M)-L’s Dipankar Bhattacharya; and CPI’s P Sandosh Kumar.
Addressing a joint press conference later, Kharge said the parties agreed to work together and involve young people and civil society organisations in their campaign. “Save Democracy marches would be held from October 2 to 8, followed by demonstrations outside district magistrates’ offices, across the country. On October 6, Opposition MPs from both Houses of Parliament would march to the EC’s office in New Delhi,” he said. The Congress chief also said the Leaders of the Opposition (LoPs) of both Houses would seek an appointment with the President in the second week of October to submit a representation against what he alleged was a “vote chori government”.
The Opposition parties, Kharge said, would also hold five large rallies, with their dates and venues to be decided later, to explain to voters alleged attempts to undermine their rights to elect their government.
Oppn to move SC
At the meeting, it was also decided that the INDIA parties will jointly approach the Supreme Court to challenge the 2023 law which provides immunity to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other Election Commissioners (ECs) for decisions taken while in office.
A PIL moved by an NGO challenging Section 16 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 is already being heard by the Supreme Court, but the Opposition parties still decided to move the top court.
Section 16 of this Act states: “Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, no Court shall entertain or continue any civil or criminal proceedings against any person who is or was a Chief Election Commissioner or an Election Commissioner for any act, thing or word, committed, done or spoken by him when, or in the course of acting or purporting to act in the discharge of his official duty or function.”
‘Bring back ballot papers’
Kharge said all parties present at the meeting agreed that elections should be conducted using ballot papers rather than Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He also called for a repeal of laws enacted by the BJP-led NDA government which, he alleged, undermined electoral safeguards.
Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of treating the EC as “puppets”. He also appealed to the Supreme Court to expedite cases relating to the SIR, alleging electoral malpractices.
“Now everyone is realising that what Rahul ji was saying is correct,” Kharge said, referring to Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of irregularities in the electoral process. He compared the Opposition’s allegations of “vote theft” with demonetisation, saying: “First Prime Minister Modi did notebandi, now he is doing votebandi.”
Rahul said the INDIA alliance parties were of the view that India’s democratic system has been allegedly attacked by Modi, Shah and CEC Gyanesh Kumar. “We will ensure that those who have destroyed Indian democracy are punished,” he said.
“There was also a feeling in the room that the Opposition has been quite successful in putting across to people that elections are stolen. And there is a new sense among young people that what is happening is wrong,” Rahul added.
Mamata Banerjee said the INDIA bloc was “very much united” and demanded the immediate removal of the CEC. She alleged electoral irregularities in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar and West Bengal, as well as during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Banerjee said the Opposition had raised its concerns before the EC, Supreme Court and had “knocked on every possible door”. She alleged that Gyanesh Kumar was responsible for “vote theft”, and said his removal was now a demand rather than a request.
Banerjee also alleged that software had been used to manipulate the electoral process and claimed that around 92 lakh voters in Bengal and more than 13 crore voters nationally had been affected.
SIR row
The Indian Express on September 23 reported that ECs Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record, at least 14 times in 10 months, to SIR-related decisions taken without their knowledge and glaring gaps in processes.
Following a full Commission meeting on September 26, the EC issued a four-page note setting out nine decisions that addressed several of the concerns recorded by Sandhu and Joshi.
Other INDIA allies which participated in the meeting included the Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), JMM, IUML, Kerala Congress (M), MDMK, VCK, RSP, Kerala Congress (Joseph) and AIFB.
