New Delhi, 30 September (H.S.): A meeting of the opposition INDIA bloc began at the Constitution Club here on Wednesday to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and the functioning of the Election Commission. The meeting is expected to deliberate on a joint opposition strategy concerning allegations of names being removed from electoral rolls under the SIR exercise, reported differences within the Election Commission, and the demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, among other issues.

Several prominent opposition leaders attended the meeting, including Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav did not attend the meeting, with other leaders from the party representing it.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said in a post on the social media platform X that representatives of several parties were participating in the meeting, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist), Indian Union Muslim League, Kerala Congress (M), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Kerala Congress (Joseph) and All India Forward Bloc.

According to sources, the meeting may also consider a draft proposal for moving motions in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha seeking the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner. The opposition is also expected to discuss its future political and parliamentary strategy in light of reports concerning the SIR process and alleged differences within the Election Commission.

The meeting comes a day after the meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). The CWC had called for an immediate halt to the SIR process, restoration of the 13.30 crore names reportedly removed from electoral rolls, and the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had also raised questions over the functioning of the Election Commission and the electoral process.

This is the eighth meeting of the INDIA bloc in the past three years and its second meeting this year. Earlier, on June 8, opposition parties had met to discuss issues relating to the SIR exercise and the independence of the Election Commission. The Aam Aadmi Party and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam did not attend that meeting.

The Aam Aadmi Party and the DMK are also not represented at the present meeting. However, both parties had signed a joint letter sent by opposition parties to the Chief Justice of India on June 28 concerning the SIR exercise.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar