India opposition bloc announces week-long 'Save Democracy March' over Special Intensive Revision
The INDIA bloc will hold nationwide programmes from 2-8 October and march to the Election Commission headquarters in Delhi on 6 October over concerns surrounding electoral roll revisions.
India's opposition INDIA bloc has announced a week-long nationwide "Save Democracy March" from 2 to 8 October to protest alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and raise concerns over the functioning of the Election Commission.
The decision was announced after a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders in New Delhi that lasted around three and a half hours. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the parties had agreed to mount a united campaign over the issue.
Kharge said opposition parties had also agreed to demand a return to ballot papers for elections instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs). The planned marches will involve INDIA bloc parties, civil society groups and other supporters and will be held outside district magistrates' offices from 2 to 8 October.
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All opposition MPs will march to the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi on 6 October, according to Kharge. The bloc has also announced a larger rally in the capital on 1 November.
The meeting was attended by Kharge, former Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, among others.
The Aam Aadmi Party and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam were not represented at the meeting, according to reports.
Kharge accused the Election Commission of being influenced by the ruling establishment and alleged that its functioning had undermined democratic institutions. These are political allegations by the Congress leader and have been rejected by the BJP and the Election Commission.
Banerjee reiterated the opposition's demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and criticised the BJP and the Election Commission over the SIR process.
The opposition campaign follows reports of differences within the Election Commission over the handling of the SIR. The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded at least 14 objections over 10 months to decisions and orders concerning the revision process, which they said had been issued without their knowledge or recommendation.
The Election Commission has defended its processes, while the BJP has accused the opposition of undermining a constitutional institution and spreading misinformation over electoral rolls.
