A delegation of 10 Opposition MPs, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, on Friday headed to Rashtrapati Bhavan to submit a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu over the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI). Meanwhile, another group of Opposition leaders continued its protest at Vijay Chowk, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations concerning electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
The delegation included former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule and RJD MP Manoj Jha. The Opposition leaders sought the President's intervention, alleging irregularities in the electoral process and calling for changes to the poll body's functioning.
Speaking to ANI, Jha said the Opposition's demand was to dismantle what he described as a “structure of dishonesty”, alleging that Kumar was protecting the system under scrutiny.
Opposition outlines key demands
Congress MP Pawan Khera said 10 leaders would submit the memorandum while the protest would continue until their demands were addressed. These included Kumar's resignation, suspension of the SIR exercise, restoration of the names of 13.8 crore people to electoral rolls and the introduction of ballot papers for elections. The Opposition also demanded the repeal of the legal immunity granted to the CEC.
“The Rashtrapati Bhavan stands as the final guardian of democracy. We are taking our plea to this final guardian, asking them to save it,” Khera said, urging the President to intervene.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also called for the removal of Kumar and demanded a return to ballot-paper voting.
TMC seeks wider electoral reforms
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee argued that removing the CEC alone would not be sufficient, demanding criminal proceedings against him and repeal of the immunity provision. He called for wider changes to the system governing the Election Commission.
Meanwhile, TMC MP Derek O'Brien alleged that Delhi Police had prevented Opposition leaders from entering an area to collect the remaining signatures on the memorandum. He said the document had been finalised after discussions among INDIA bloc parties, but the delegation had to proceed with the submission while signatures were still being collected.
Opposition intensifies campaign against CEC
The twin actions marked an escalation in the Opposition's campaign against the CEC, with one group seeking presidential intervention and another continuing its demonstration at Vijay Chowk. The allegations against Kumar and the ECI remain the central focus of the Opposition's protest.
