Agencies | New Delhi:
Opposition parties of the INDIA bloc are likely to meet in New Delhi on September 30 to discuss a coordinated strategy over the Election Commission, the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, according to PTI.
The proposed meeting comes amid intensified opposition coordination following reports of differences within the poll panel over aspects of the SIR exercise.
According to sources cited by PTI, the parties are expected to discuss ways to mount a coordinated campaign on the issue, with the possibility of joint protests also likely to figure in the deliberations. The meeting is expected to be held at Constitution Club in New Delhi, according to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee.
The demand for Kumar’s removal is expected to remain a key component of the opposition campaign.
TMC national joint secretary Derek O’Brien said the demand would remain central to the opposition’s efforts, alongside issues concerning the appointment process of the CEC and the SIR exercise.
“First, GK (Gyanesh Kumar) has to GO. Certain other demands have been raised as well,” O’Brien said, according to PTI, adding that the opposition parties would work together on the issues.
Banerjee said on Saturday that she had spoken to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and conveyed the need for opposition parties to meet and discuss the Election Commission issue.
She also spoke to CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby, who had reached out to INDIA bloc and other opposition leaders seeking wider mobilisation.
The developments have brought the TMC and CPI(M) together on the Election Commission and SIR issue despite their political differences in West Bengal.
Left parties, including the CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML)-Liberation, have demanded Kumar’s removal and called for an immediate halt to the SIR exercise. They have also announced joint protests against the revision process.
CPI(ML)-Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya welcomed the proposed meeting, describing it as “long overdue”. He identified the SIR exercise and the role of Gyanesh Kumar as two major issues for the opposition and called for the process to be stopped.
Bhattacharya also raised concerns over voters whose names have allegedly been removed from electoral rolls.
The September 30 meeting comes as opposition parties prepare another parliamentary move seeking the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner.
According to PTI, opposition parties are working on a fresh notice that is likely to be submitted in both Houses of Parliament after being vetted by legal experts. If moved, it would be the opposition’s third such attempt, PTI reported.
The latest mobilisation follows reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on 14 occasions over decisions and orders relating to the SIR exercise.
The Congress Working Committee is also scheduled to meet on September 29 to discuss the party’s strategy on the issue, a day before the proposed INDIA bloc meeting.
The political mobilisation has followed an Election Commission statement addressing reports of differences within the poll panel.
The EC said on Saturday that all orders relating to the SIR exercise had received the unanimous approval of all three Election Commissioners.
The Commission said letters written by Sandhu and Joshi to the Cabinet Secretary concerned an officer on deputation and did not relate to policy or IT division matters. It added that work-redistribution orders issued by the officer were never implemented following directions from the two Election Commissioners.
The Commission maintained that differing views and observations are part of institutional deliberations and said its orders have legal sanction and are issued in accordance with statutory procedures.
It also reiterated that the SIR order issued on June 24, 2025, covering all States and Union Territories, was approved unanimously by the full Commission. The EC further referred to the Supreme Court’s May 27, 2026 order concerning the exercise.
Amid the political controversy, the Election Commission has announced several measures intended to make the SIR verification process easier for voters.
People issued notices because their records could not be mapped or because of logical discrepancies will generally not be required to appear personally before the Electoral Registration Officer. Instead, Booth Level Officers will visit their homes, collect the required documents and upload them for consideration by the ERO.
Hearings will be held only in exceptional cases and, as far as possible, through online mode. An authorised family member may also appear on behalf of an elector.
The EC has directed District Election Officers to organise special camps and help desks for vulnerable groups, including people living in night shelters, labourers, poor people and those without homes.
The Commission has also extended the deadline for filing claims and objections in Delhi to October 30, with disposal of notices, claims and objections extended to November 30.
In Maharashtra, the deadline for filing claims and objections has been extended to October 12, while the disposal deadline has been extended to November 10.
The developments are expected to form a major part of the discussions among opposition parties as they seek to coordinate their response to the Election Commission and the SIR exercise.
