New Delhi, Sep 30: Opposition parties of the INDIA bloc met at Constitution Club in New Delhi on Wednesday to formulate a common strategy over demands for accountability from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, amid allegations by opposition parties concerning the electoral process.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Bihar Assembly Leader of Opposition and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, MP Abhishek Banerjee, CPI(M) MP John Brittas, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule and Congress Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh were among those attending the meeting.
The discussions centre on the opposition parties’ demand for accountability over what they describe as alleged impropriety in the conduct of elections. The parties have also sought to demonstrate a coordinated position on concerns they have raised over the integrity and transparency of the electoral process.
The meeting, however, is taking place amid differences in participation within the bloc. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is not attending, with party MPs Harendra Malik and Maulana Mohibbullah Nadvi representing the SP. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray is participating virtually, while the AAP and DMK are not attending.
Posters accusing opposition leaders of “doglapan”, or double standards, over the Election Commission of India issue also appeared around Constitution Club ahead of the meeting.
The opposition parties’ discussions follow a Congress Working Committee resolution adopted a day earlier. The resolution demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and restoration of voters whom the Congress alleges were removed from electoral rolls.
The meeting also comes against the backdrop of opposition leaders acknowledging that the bloc does not have the numbers in Parliament required to remove the Chief Election Commissioner. Despite that numerical position, the parties are seeking to present a joint political response to their concerns about the electoral process.
The Election Commission-related dispute has also entered the legal sphere, with the Supreme Court agreeing to hear a petition challenging the functioning of the CEC and the legality of the SIR exercise.
The Constitution Club meeting therefore brings together the opposition’s immediate political response to the Election Commission controversy, while differences in participation underline the challenge of maintaining a common position among INDIA bloc constituents.
