New Delhi, Sept 30: The Opposition INDIA bloc on Wednesday announced that their MPs will march to the Election Commission on October 6 in protest of alleged “vote theft”. It also finalised a joint action plan over the SIR row, including holding rallies and ‘save democracy marches across the country’, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asserting that all parties agreed that elections should be held through ballot papers instead of EVMs.
The decision was announced after the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc parties met here to discuss their action plan over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of electoral rolls and press for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Several partners of the INDIA bloc met for over three-and-a-half, including Kharge, former Congress chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, JKPDP Mebooba Mufti, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, and other partners including the Left parties.
Addressing the meeting, Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said that the Opposition parties will hold a “Save Democracy” rally across all districts between October 2 and October 8.
Kharge said that the parties were united and unanimous in their resolve to fight together against the electoral and democratic subversion.
The parties which attended the meeting include the INC, SP, AITC, NCP(SP), SS (UBT), RJD, CPM, CPI, JKNC, JKPDP, JMM, CPI-ML, IUML, KC(M), MDMK, VCK, RSP, KC(J) and AIFB. Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal also joined the meeting.
Kharge said they all agreed that the Chief Election Commissioner was working like a pawn with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah pulling the strings.
He said that the INDIA bloc would launch a nationwide movement against the ‘vote-chori’, beginning October 2.
“From October 2 to 8, ‘Save Democracy’ marches will be taken out in every district and protest demonstrations would be held to create awareness about ‘vote-chori’ among the people.,” he said.
On October 6, he said, all Opposition MPs would march to the ECI headquarters.
Kharge said they wanted to go poll panel today itself, but felt that all MPs from Opposition parties should participate in it, so they deferred the march.
He also said that all Opposition MPs from LS and RS would participate in the march.
“The Opposition leaders would also seek an appointment from the President of India in the second week of October to give her a representation,” Kharge said, adding that they would brief the President about the constitutional hurdles being created by the government and how governments were being formed by stealing votes.
The Congress leader then said that the INDIA bloc plans to hold five massive rallies in different parts of the country during October-November to raise awareness on the issue.
“One of the rallies will be held in Delhi on November 1. The dates and venues of other rallies will be announced later,” he said.
The meeting also noted that Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has been raising the issue for the last many years, and it has now been vindicated by the Election Commissioners themselves.
The INDIA bloc leaders, Kharge said, have appealed that all the cases in the Supreme Court of India pertaining to SIR and other electoral malpractices should be expedited. “Otherwise, these will keep on dragging on and serve no purpose, and should be settled as soon as possible”, he added.
Later, replying to a question, the Congress president said that there is a consensus among the Opposition that all elections should be conducted through ballot papers instead of EVMs.
He also demanded that all laws enacted, following the rigged elections, must be scrapped as these are illegal. He said once the INDIA bloc forms the government, it will scrap them.
Meanwhile, former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar “stole” elections for the government and he must resign immediately.
Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said the INDIA bloc is “very much united” and called for the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, alleging serious electoral wrongdoing and manipulation of the electoral process.
Addressing a joint press conference of INDIA bloc leaders after their meeting in Delhi, Banerjee said the opposition had repeatedly raised the issue of “vote theft” in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar and West Bengal, and expressed concerns over alleged electoral manipulation during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav had raised the issue of vote theft in Bihar. We have also raised concerns over electoral manipulation in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar and Bengal, as well as in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” she said.
Banerjee said the opposition had taken these matters to the Election Commission and the Supreme Court and “knocked on every possible door”.
“But now, in our view, everything has come out in the open. I say that Gyanesh Kumar is responsible for vote theft and serious electoral wrongdoing,” she said.
She alleged that questions had been raised over EVMs, especially regarding the handling of these machines and the counting process, and claimed there had been manipulation of the electoral system.
“Gyanesh Kumar must resign immediately. Let us save democracy and ensure security of people and their voting rights. It is our constitutional right,” she asserted.
“It is our obligation to people. If people are not voting, if their votes are looted, where will the country go?” Banerjee said.
She also said Kumar’s removal was no longer a request but a demand, and warned that the opposition’s agitation would intensify if he continued in office.
“If Gyanesh Kumar is not removed, this movement can go very far… We have to fight this battle together,” she said.
She also questioned the software used in the electoral process and raised questions over the handling of EVMs.
“”If nothing was wrong, why were machines destroyed? Were EVMs tampered with? Why? Who is this software engineer? Where did the software come from?” Banerjee said.
“We believe software was developed and used to manipulate the electoral process,” she alleged.
She claimed that around 92 lakh voters had been affected in West Bengal, while across the country, this figure was more than 13 crore.
“We also believe that certain software were used that compromised EVMs and endangered the entire electoral system,” she said.
She claimed that around 92 lakh voters had been affected in West Bengal, while across the country, this figure was more than 13 crore.
“We also believe that certain software were used that compromised EVMs and endangered the entire electoral system,” she said.
Banerjee said a person responsible for such actions “should not remain in office even for one more minute” and demanded immediate action.
At the same time, she appealed to people to participate in the programmes announced by the INDIA bloc, saying all opposition parties would take part in the agitation against the CEC and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
“They may try to prevent us from coming out of our homes. They may try to stop us from taking to the streets. But how long can they stop everyone?” she said.
“I want to make one thing clear: we will fight; we will continue this struggle; we will work to restore democracy; and we will protect the Constitution. This is our promise,” Banerjee asserted.