Opposition to organise nationwide agitation against Chief Election Commissioner

Opposition parties are planning to take their agitation to a second phase against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of vote theft. According to a report by Hindustan Times, opposition parties are preparing to corner the government by organising protest demonstrations in various states.

The opposition parties are also preparing to raise this issue in the upcoming winter session of Parliament, which is set to begin later this month. M.A. Baby, General Secretary of CPI (Marxist), stated that the opposition has decided to extend this campaign beyond Delhi. He added that an urgent need was felt to take this issue to the state and district levels.

The 'Save Vote, Save Nation' rally, organised by the Kozhikode DCC at Kozhikode beach on Saturday, was led by Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal. In a post on Sunday, Venugopal stated that despite heavy rainfall, thousands of people came out to issue a stern warning to the Modi government against vote theft and dictatorial politics.

Opposition strategists view this campaign as an opportunity to directly connect with voters and organise state and district-level workers before the assembly elections to be held in five states early next year. A senior Congress Rajya Sabha leader stated that this activity will not only strengthen their campaign but also provide impetus to the grassroots organisation, helping to gauge their organisational strength across various states and districts.

The march and rally conducted by the INDIA block in the heart of New Delhi on 1 November was their largest show of strength. Opposition parties are demanding the removal of Gyanesh Kumar from his post, alleging irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission. This controversy is also linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), under which 13 crore names have been removed from the voter list, many of which fall under the categories of absent, migrated, or deceased. On the other hand, the BJP has alleged, while holding its own rallies in various cities, that the opposition is working at the behest of foreign powers to spread chaos in the country.

On 9 October, ten opposition leaders submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu. The memorandum demanded action against Gyanesh Kumar, the repeal of the 2023 law that grants immunity to the CEC and Election Commissioners, and an immediate halt to the SIR of the voter list. The opposition also demanded the reinstatement of the 13.3 crore voters removed from the list. The leaders stated that the President has sought evidence in support of the allegations against Gyanesh Kumar. A senior Congress leader stated that the opposition is now planning a second meeting with President Murmu to present potential evidence of manipulation in the voter list.