INDIA bloc MPs march to President to seek poll panel chief's removal

UPDATE - follow-up to Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, INDIA leaders to meet President on EC stir at 8 pm: INDIA bloc members of parliament are marching from Parliament to Rashtrapati Bhavan to meet President Droupadi Murmu. The group plans to ask for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over concerns about the Special Intensive Revision. The delegation features top opposition figures including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, and CPM leader MA Baby. Sources indicated earlier that the leaders intended to stage a protest outside Rashtrapati Bhavan if denied an appointment.

Background

This march follows three days of street protests by the opposition in Delhi, which included blocked marches, unexpected sit-ins, and detentions near locations like Akashvani Bhavan and Rajghat. The series of events comes just ahead of a planned protest by the Cockroach Janta Party at Jantar Mantar. Meanwhile, security in Delhi has been heavily increased with cancelled trains and shut metro stations, prompting sharp criticism from opposition figures.

Context

The INDIA bloc is a coalition of opposition parties formed to take on the ruling government in national elections. Rashtrapati Bhavan serves as the official office and residence of the President of India. Such high-level political delegations meet the head of state to submit formal memorandums when parliamentary channels fail to resolve disputes.