Full Breakdown
Opposition Bloc Meets President Over Election-Commission Row
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The Meeting and Four-Point Demand
On October 9 2026 a ten-member INDIA bloc delegation met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. They handed a two-page memorandum demanding: (1) resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and repeal of the 2023 immunity law; (2) suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and restoration of 13.30 crore voters allegedly deleted; (3) a return to paper ballots; and repeal of state assembly elections held in the past two years where the bloc claims “conclusive evidence of vote chori.” Delegates included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, CPI(M) secretary M A Baby, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and others.
Background to the SIR Controversy
The SIR is a statutory exercise to clean voter lists. Opposition parties allege it has been used to delete BJP supporters while adding favorable voters. The bloc’s memorandum claims “incontrovertible proof” of vote theft in assembly elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Delhi and West Bengal, and accuses the Election Commission of acting as a “puppet” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Timeline of Key Actions
- Oct 2 2026 – INDIA bloc wrote to President Murmu requesting an appointment.
- Oct 5 2026 – Submitted revised request after the President’s office asked for delegation names.
- Oct 7 2026 – Secretariat confirmed an appointment for Oct 9.
- Oct 8 2026 – Bloc leaders marched in Patna and staged a sit-in at Raj Ghat, Delhi.
- Oct 9 2026 – Meeting with President; memorandum handed over; President asked for evidence of alleged “vote chori.”
- Oct 10 2026 – Planned “Cockroach Janta Party” protest at Jantar Mantar was denied permission; security tightened across Delhi.
Data & Statistics
- The memorandum cites 13.30 crore voters allegedly removed during the SIR.
- The bloc claims 24 elections, including the 2024 Lok Sabha poll, were “stolen.”
- Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi reportedly recorded at least 14 objections to SIR-related decisions over the preceding ten months (The Indian Express).
Official Statements & Responses
- President Murmu listened to the delegation and asked the leaders to provide proof of the alleged irregularities.
- Bloc general secretary C K Venugopal said the opposition would approach the Chief Justice of India on Monday to submit the memorandum to the judiciary.
On-the-Ground Reports
- Over three days, INDIA bloc MPs marched from Parliament to Vijay Chowk, were stopped by police barricades, and staged sit-ins at Raj Ghat.
- Several opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were detained during attempts to reach Jantar Mantar.
- The youth movement “Cockroach Janta Party” prepared a large-scale protest for Oct 10, but Delhi Police denied permission, deployed over 23 thousand security personnel, closed 57 metro stations and imposed travel restrictions.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Opposition view: Rahul Gandhi said the President “did not deny” the vote-theft claims and “accepted” the bloc’s statement.
- Contrasting view: Sources cited by multiple outlets reported that the President merely asked for evidence and did not endorse the allegations; they labeled Gandhi’s description as “incorrect.”
- No independent verification of the alleged 13.30 crore voter deletions or of the claimed “conclusive evidence” of vote theft has been presented publicly.