Opposition leaders led by Rahul Gandhi met President Murmu over alleged 'vote chori'. Rahul claimed the President accepted their allegations and asked for proof. The INDIA bloc demanded CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation and a return to ballot papers.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, on Friday said he was "shocked and stunned" when President Droupadi Murmu accepted the opposition's allegations of 'vote chore' rather than denying it amid the ongoing protest of alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Rahul Gandhi: 'President Accepted What We Said'
After meeting the President, he said, "The main thing is that I expected the President of India to deny that 'vote chori' was taking place. I expected her to say that India has a free and fair electoral system. I was shocked and stunned that the President of India accepted what we said." Regarding the President's response during their interaction, Rahul Gandhi said, "I sat in quite an unbelievable meeting. First, we took a memorandum to the President of India. In that memorandum, we clearly stated that the Prime Minister, HM Amit Shah, and CEC Gyanesh Kumar had conspired to destroy Indian democracy. The President in no way denied what we said, questioned what we said, or argued what we said. She accepted our statement and then told us that we needed to provide her with proof of 'election chori'. I said that the evidence of 'election chori' is known to the entire country. State after state has been stolen. The 2024 election was stolen, and yet the President wants us to submit proof to her. This same group of people will be very happy to present the evidence of 'election chori' that we have collected to the President of India when she is ready to accept it..."
Opposition Leaders Detail Meeting with President
Following the closed-door meeting with President Droupadi Murmu, the 10-member opposition delegation emerged to brief the press on the outcome of their representation. The 10-member delegation included Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. The bloc's regional heavyweights were represented by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party leader Rajiv Rai, NCP leader Supriya Sule and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah. The Left was represented by CPI(M) leader MA Baby and CPI leader D Raja. The Rashtriya Janata Dal was represented by Tejashwi Yadav/Manoj Jha, while Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi chief Thol. Thirumavalavan was also part of the delegation Congress Chief and Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge confirmed that the delegation presented their case fully. "We went specifically to apprise the President of the agitation we launched four days ago regarding the theft of votes, and we presented our case fully. We highlighted the issue of vote theft and the grave error committed by Gyanesh Kumar. We demanded that EVMs be set aside and elections be conducted using ballot papers. Furthermore, she asked for evidence regarding the instances of vote theft; we are currently compiling this evidence and will submit it... She listened attentively and stated that she would investigate the matter thoroughly, consult the concerned parties, and determine the appropriate course of action," he said.Former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee noted the President's positive posture. "We have submitted a memorandum. We have seen from a positive outlook that she said she will investigate; she will go through the details, and she needs evidence. She has asked us to send, which we said we will... The country is very concerned, and you, as a custodian of the Constitution, should take proper care so democracy remains," said Mamata Banerjee.
INDIA Bloc's Five Key Demands
In its memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu, the INDIA bloc delegation laid out five key demands. The delegation sought the immediate resignation, arrest and prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. It also demanded repeal of parliamentary immunity granted to the Chief Election Commissioner. Further, it called for scrapping Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and a return to paper ballots. The bloc demanded immediate cancellation and suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. It also sought restoration of tens of millions of names deleted from electoral rolls across states.
Tensions reached a boiling point in the national capital as leaders and MPs of the opposition INDIA bloc staged a high-stakes march from Parliament to Rashtrapati Bhavan, demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The high-voltage political drama unfolded in two distinct phases, the fiery agitation and march by opposition MPs before entering the presidential estate, followed by explosive declarations after a 10-member delegation submitted a formal memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu.Prior to the delegation's entry into Rashtrapati Bhavan, opposition leaders gathered at Vijay Chowk and Central Hall, hitting out at the central government and the Delhi administration over heavy security deployments, metro station closures, and internet shutdowns across the capital.Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan questioned the administrative lockdown, asking, "If this isn't a failure of the government, then what is it? If this isn't a failure of law and order, then what is it? We are protesting democratically... Does that warrant shutting down the internet? Does it warrant closing metro stations? This implies the government is scared."Congress MP Rajiv Shukla echoed these sentiments, highlighting the inconvenience caused to citizens, "I find it laughable just how terrified the government has become. People have been put to great inconvenience. The Supreme Court even had to ask why a blanket ban was being imposed... Entry into Delhi is blocked." Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury added, "We can't go to Jantar Mantar, our children can't reach them, metros have been stopped... What is this? Is this democracy?"
Leaders Demand CEC's Arrest, Repeal of Immunity
Amidst the march led by high-profile figures including West Bengal Leader Mamata Banerjee, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and KC Venugopal, opposition leaders made it clear that their demands extended beyond a simple procedural inquiry. Opposition leaders launched a sharp attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar after meeting the President.TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee said, "Removing Gyanesh Kumar is not going to solve the problem unless criminal proceedings are initiated against him, he is arrested, and put behind bars... The immunity granted to Mr. Kumar in 2023 has to be repealed."CPI(M) MP John Brittas said, "Our only demand is that you throw out Gyanesh Kumar from that chair; he's maligning and hijacking democracy."RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha said, "The demand is the same as that of the entire country: to dismantle the entire structure of dishonesty, and Gyanesh Kumar is standing like a shield."CPI MP P. Sandosh Kumar said, "Today, Delhi has become a place that looks as if a terrorist has arrived... The resignation of Gyanesh Kumar is very important."On saving the democratic process, Congress MP Pawan Khera said, "The Rashtrapati Bhavan stands as the final guardian of democracy. We are taking our plea to this final guardian, asking them to save it. Democracy and the Constitution are breathing their last..." Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said, "We are doing this to save the rights of everyone's votes, regardless of their ideology... I believe that those who are working to tarnish our entire electoral process and spread filth are traitors." Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar said, "We want to have a ballot. We want to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar."Highlighting the tense moments just before entering Rashtrapati Bhavan, TMC MP Derek O'Brien described the hurdles faced while finalising the two-page memorandum: "The final memorandum was ready at around 7:30... We needed the signatures of Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, MA Baby, Omar Abdullah, and others. The arrogant Delhi Police did not even allow us to go inside to obtain those signatures. I had to hand over the memorandum to Mallikarjun Kharge. He is now going around collecting the signatures," he said.Congress MP Pawan Khera outlined the opposition's four-point core demand ahead of the delegation's entry, "10 members are going inside to submit a memorandum. Our agitation will not stop until we achieve our goal: Gyanesh's resignation, the suspension of the SIR, the restoration of 13.8 crore voters' names to electoral rolls, conducting elections via ballot papers, and revoking the lifelong immunity provision granted to Gyanesh." (ANI)(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
