NEW DELHI, September 26, 2026 (Journalist File): Leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc are scheduled to meet at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on September 30 to discuss their response to the Election Commission's handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demands concerning Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The meeting is expected to focus on a proposed removal motion and the course of political action to be pursued by the opposition parties.
Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby are among those expected to participate, according to reports.
The meeting comes amid a political dispute over the functioning of the Election Commission and the SIR exercise. An investigation by The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded at least 14 objections over 10 months concerning various decisions related to voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, electoral-roll appeals and voter-data management.
The Election Commission, however, has rejected the interpretation that the reported objections amounted to a split in the three-member poll panel. EC officials said that differences of view are part of internal deliberations and that decisions, including those relating to SIR, were ultimately taken unanimously with the approval of all three commissioners.
The issue has nevertheless become a major point of contention between the opposition and the poll panel. Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders have questioned the conduct of the SIR exercise and raised concerns about electoral-roll changes. The INDIA bloc's September 30 meeting is expected to consider the proposed removal motion, calls for an independent examination of the Election Commission's decisions and possible programmes of protest.
The controversy has intensified as the SIR process has involved large-scale verification and revision of electoral rolls across states and Union territories. The Election Commission has maintained that the exercise is aimed at ensuring the accuracy of electoral rolls, while opposition parties have raised concerns about the potential exclusion of eligible voters.
The September 30 meeting is therefore likely to be an important forum for the opposition parties to coordinate their position on the Election Commission, SIR and the proposed action concerning the CEC.
