Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi says: “We had a good discussion. Our collective opinion is that Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Gyanesh Kumar stole elections. We are not going to take this lying down. The people who have destroyed Indian democracy will be punished, no matter how senior they are. I mentioned to the Opposition leaders that they are the collective defenders of the Constitution.”

- Sobhana K. Nair

Mr. Kharge reiterates his demand that ballot papers should replace electronic voting machines (EVM) and says all INDIA bloc leaders agree with this.

He says, “All laws brought by this “chori ki sarkar” should be repealed.”

Former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar “stole” elections for the government and he must resign immediately.

- Sobhana K. Nair

Mr. Kharge continues. He says that a public meeting will be held in Delhi on November 1, 2026. He adds that the Opposition will hold five rallies to inform the country “how the government is snatching away their right to vote and other constitutional rights”.

He also appeals to the Supreme Court to expedite all cases related to SIR and electoral malpractices.

- Sobhana K. Nair

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge says that all Opposition MPs will march to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on October 6. Mr. Kharge also says that a “Save Democracy” march will be held on all districts from October 2 to 8. 

He also says that Opposition leaders will seek an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu to “underline the attack on Constitution”.

- Sobhana K. Nair

Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh on Wednesday (September 30, 2026) said his party is not part of the INDIA bloc and is therefore not attending the meeting called to discuss issues concerning the Election Commission.

The AAP leader also said his party supported the impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and was fighting against what he described as shortcomings of the Election Commission “from the streets to Parliament”.

Top leaders of the INDIA bloc are meeting in the national capital on Wednesday (September 30, 2026) to discuss pressing issues, particularly focusing on irregularities surrounding the SIR exercise, and to finalise a high-stakes action plan for a nationwide joint agitation against the Election Commission (EC).

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday (September 30, 2026) batted for the pre-SIR electoral roll to be used for future elections and voting through ballots instead of EVMs, as he stressed on unity in the opposition INDIA bloc with a joint action plan.

In his opening remarks at the INDIA bloc meeting, Mr. Kharge asserted that the opposition group will not allow transparency to be replaced by secrecy.

“And we will not allow the fundamental principle of our Republic -- one person, one vote, one value -- to be weakened,” he said at the meeting attended by TMC’s Mamata Banerjee and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav among others.

PTI

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge demanded the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner. 

“The Chief Election Commissioner stands totally exposed; he should be removed from his position,” Mr. Kharge said.

Talking at the INDIA bloc meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday (September 30) Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that it is shocking that 13.3 crore voters were blatantly removed from the voter list, “their power to take part in democracy was snatched”.

“Across the country, citizens and political parties are raising grave concerns about the EC’s functioning,” said Mallikarjun Kharge at an INDIA bloc meeting. Mr.Kharge said.

“We demanded answers on EVMs and raised questions about voter-list manipulation,” he further added. 

-PTI

Top leaders of the INDIA bloc met in New Delhi on Wednesday (September 30) to finalise an action plan for a joint agitation over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise and to press for CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.

Sources said the draft notice for a fresh bid to move a motion in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha for the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) was ready and would be deliberated upon for approval at the meeting.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and K.C. Venugopal, the TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, and leaders from parties such as the SP, CPI, CPI(M), NCP(SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), among others, were present at the meeting.

- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a closed-door meeting with Rahul Gandhi in his capacity as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, told him that the Congress would return to power once the Bharatiya Janata Party was out of power, Mr. Gandhi told his colleagues at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Tuesday.

In States where the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is not currently underway, the Election Commission (EC) has reverted to allowing online submission of Form 6, used for fresh voter registration, without requiring the attached declaration introduced for the SIR.

A series of hoardings taking potshots at Opposition leaders over their alleged contrasting positions on the Election Commission appeared in the national capital on Wednesday ahead of the INDIA bloc meeting.

While the posters didn’t mention who put them up, the BJP separately criticised Rahul Gandhi, saying Opposition parties have started questioning his leadership even before the INDIA bloc meeting began.

- PTI