Administrator
01 October 2026
*Opposition leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee and other leaders of the INDIA bloc address the media after a meeting at Constitution Club in New Delhi on September 30, 2026. | Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma
Save Democracy’ marches
The INDIA bloc’s meeting in New Delhi on September 30 brought 19 Opposition parties together to coordinate their response to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and their concerns over the functioning of the poll panel. The meeting has now translated those concerns into a coordinated programme of political action.
From objections to a joint campaign
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the parties had agreed to work together on the issue. Among their demands are greater transparency in electoral-roll revisions, disclosure of constituency- and booth-level additions and deletions, safeguards against wrongful exclusion and a mechanism for effective appeals. The bloc has also called for using pre-SIR electoral rolls in future elections and simplifying registration for young and first-time voters.
The question of the Election Commission
The alliance has demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, while also calling for the rollback of the SIR exercise. Opposition leaders have raised concerns about voter deletions and the electoral process. These are political allegations and demands; the Election Commission has defended its SIR procedures and said they are conducted according to law.
The road ahead
The bloc announced district-level ‘Save Democracy’marches from October 2 to 8, with Opposition MPs scheduled to march to the Election Commission on October 6. Leaders will also seek an appointment with the President in October. Five major rallies are planned, including a large Delhi rally on November 1.
A dispute moving beyond one meeting
The September 30 gathering has turned the Opposition’s concerns over voter rolls and the poll panel into a coordinated campaign with a defined calendar of action. With legal proceedings over SIR continuing and the Election Commission maintaining its position, the coming weeks will place electoral-roll revision, institutional accountability and voting processes firmly at the centre of the political debate.
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