‘We will protest now’: Rahul Gandhi heads to Jantar Mantar as Kharge leads opposition’s SIR push against CEC
New Delhi: Opposition parties intensified their protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Wednesday, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge chairing a meeting of opposition MPs in central Delhi to discuss the next course of action over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The meeting, attended by MPs from several opposition parties, focused on drafting a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner seeking an urgent meeting with opposition leaders over issues related to the SIR exercise.
The meeting came a day after opposition parties held a protest that culminated in the detention of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi said on Wednesday that the opposition would now protest at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site.
“There will be a lunch; maybe there will also be a launch,” RJD MP Manoj Jha said while arriving for the meeting.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said the previous day's events, including the detention of Gandhi, had brought attention to the opposition's concerns.
RJD MP Sudhakar Singh called for continued direct action and demanded the resignation of the CEC, alleging irregularities in the electoral process.
Congress MP Jebi Mather said opposition parties would continue their protests despite the police action during Tuesday's demonstration. Congress MP Ujjwal Raman Singh said concerns raised over the electoral rolls should be addressed through discussions with the Election Commission.
Meanwhile, AAP workers and supporters of other parties held a separate protest outside the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer's office at Kashmere Gate. They demanded Kumar's resignation and raised concerns over alleged deletions from electoral rolls.
Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said the party would seek answers from election officials regarding the deletion of voters' names from the rolls. He said the party was protesting over constitutional rights and not due to any personal rivalry with the government.
The AAP had earlier held protests at Jantar Mantar on October 2 and India Gate on October 4. Bharadwaj said people from across the country would participate in a protest on October 10, with Jantar Mantar expected to be the main venue.
The protests have expanded from parliamentary opposition activity into street demonstrations across Delhi and other states. The immediate dispute centres on the SIR exercise and opposition allegations concerning voter deletions and electoral-roll irregularities.
The opposition is now seeking a formal meeting with the Election Commission while simultaneously demanding the CEC's resignation. The Election Commission's response to the proposed letter and the opposition's continuing protests are likely to shape the next phase of the confrontation.
The competing claims over voter deletions and the conduct of the SIR process remain politically contested. Specific allegations about electoral-roll changes need to be assessed against official voter-roll data and responses from election authorities.