NEW DELHI: A delegation of INDIA bloc leaders on Friday evening met President Droupadi Murmu and submitted a memorandum raising allegations of large-scale electoral irregularities, popularly described by the Opposition as “vote chori”, and demanding sweeping changes to the electoral process.
The memorandum listed four key demands: the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar; repeal of the 2023 law providing lifetime immunity to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, as alleged by the Opposition; immediate suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and restoration of 13.30 crore voters whom the bloc claims were illegally deleted; a return to paper ballots for all elections; and the annulment of Assembly elections held over the past two years where, according to the Opposition, conclusive evidence of electoral manipulation had been presented.
In the memorandum, the INDIA bloc alleged that electoral rolls and electronic voting machines had been manipulated in several elections. It named Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Delhi and West Bengal among the states where it claimed Assembly elections had been compromised. The allegations were made by the Opposition and were not independently established in the memorandum.
Following the closed-door meeting, a 10-member delegation emerged to brief the media on its representation to the President. The delegation included Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Other members included Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party leader Rajiv Rai, Nationalist Congress Party leader Supriya Sule, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, CPI(M) leader M.A. Baby, CPI leader D. Raja, Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders Tejashwi Yadav and Manoj Jha, and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi chief Thol. Thirumavalavan.
Speaking after the meeting, Rahul Gandhi said he was “shocked and stunned” by the President’s response to the Opposition’s allegations. He claimed he had expected the President to reject the charge that electoral manipulation had taken place and affirm that India’s electoral system was free and fair.
Gandhi said the delegation had submitted evidence and alleged that the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had conspired to undermine Indian democracy. He further claimed that the President had neither disputed the Opposition’s allegations nor questioned its assertions during the meeting.
According to Gandhi, President Murmu had asked the delegation to provide evidence supporting its claims of “vote chori”. He said the Opposition was prepared to submit the material it had collected when the President was ready to consider it.
The INDIA bloc has been protesting over the SIR exercise and the functioning of the Election Commission, alleging irregularities in the preparation and revision of electoral rolls. The demands presented to the President seek both immediate intervention in the ongoing revision exercise and broader changes to the electoral system.
The meeting marks another step in the Opposition’s efforts to press its allegations before constitutional authorities. The claims concerning electoral manipulation, the conduct of the Election Commission and the legality of voter deletions remain allegations advanced by the INDIA bloc.
