INDIA bloc announces nationwide protests over SIR, plans November 1 Delhi rally

The INDIA bloc on Wednesday announced a nationwide campaign against the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, including a mega rally in Delhi on November 1 and a march by Opposition MPs to the poll panel on October 6.

The decision was taken at a meeting of leaders of 19 Opposition parties in New Delhi, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge saying the parties had agreed to jointly campaign on concerns over electoral rolls, SIR and the functioning of the Election Commission.

As part of the campaign, the bloc will organise district-level “Save Democracy” marches and demonstrations from October 2 to 8, involving Opposition parties, young people and civil society groups. Opposition MPs will march to the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi on October 6.

Leaders of the Opposition will also seek an appointment with the President in the second week of October to submit a representation on their concerns.

The bloc plans to hold five major rallies across the country during October and November, besides the November 1 mega rally in Delhi. It has also called for faster hearings of cases relating to SIR pending before the Supreme Court.

The Opposition has also agreed to demand elections through ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines. Kharge said all INDIA bloc parties had backed the demand.

The alliance has put forward a broader set of demands, including greater transparency in electoral-roll revisions, publication of constituency- and booth-level details of additions and deletions, safeguards against the removal of legitimate voters and an effective mechanism for appeals.

The bloc also wants registration of young and first-time voters to be made simpler and has raised objections to changes and additional requirements linked to Form 6 during the SIR process.

Rahul Gandhi said the parties had agreed that the Opposition would continue its campaign against what it alleges is manipulation of the electoral process. He said INDIA bloc leaders had made a “personal commitment” to ensure that those they accuse of damaging Indian democracy are “punished”, irrespective of their seniority.

The Opposition's allegations have been rejected by the Election Commission, which has defended its SIR-related processes and said its decisions are taken in accordance with the law. The BJP has also accused the Opposition of undermining the credibility of the poll panel.

The INDIA bloc's latest programme marks a coordinated escalation of its campaign over electoral-roll revisions, with the November 1 Delhi rally set to be the largest mobilisation announced by the alliance on the issue so far.