INDIA bloc to convene in Delhi on 30 September to plan push for Chief Election Commissioner's removal

Opposition parties in the INDIA bloc will gather in New Delhi on 30 September to map out their demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists. Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal sent out the meeting invites, and top opposition figures plan to attend. Expected participants include Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party leader Akhikesh Yadav, CPI(M) leader M.A. Baby, and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, alongside other senior representatives from their parties. This upcoming gathering follows a media report detailing internal friction within the poll panel. The Indian Express revealed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised objections 14 times over a ten-month span regarding orders tied to voter rolls and the SIR process, including disputes over adding and deleting names, handling appeals, and controlling database access. The report also noted that these commissioners flagged decisions made without their direct knowledge. In response, the Election Commission maintained that differing views are a normal part of discussions and that all directives have full legal backing. Ahead of the meeting, the opposition has ramped up pressure. M.A. Baby initiated calls for a joint strategy, reaching out to Mamata Banerjee, who agreed on the need for a unified stance. TMC insiders confirmed both Mamata and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will attend, smoothing over past tensions with the Congress that were previously resolved by Sonia Gandhi. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi staged protests across multiple states on Friday and accused the panel on Thursday of vote and institution theft. Parties are now drafting an impeachment notice against the CEC containing at least 12 allegations, which will be filed in both parliamentary houses after legal checks, marking their third attempt to unseat him.