The INDIA bloc will begin its protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar with a march from Parliament to the Election Commission headquarters on Tuesday. The opposition alliance finalised the programme after discussions that followed its meeting last week, with the issue also drawing support from Gen Z, represented by the Cockroach Janata Party.
Members of Parliament from the alliance will assemble at Makar Dwar before marching towards Nirvachan Sadan. The extent to which the police permit the march to proceed remains unclear.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav is expected to join the demonstration in Delhi, while several MPs from his party have already arrived in the national capital. The Samajwadi Party, with 37 Lok Sabha members, is the second-largest Opposition party after the Congress.
The Congress has invited the Aam Aadmi Party and the DMK to participate. Neither party is formally part of the INDIA alliance, but both are aligned with the Opposition camp in Parliament.
At a meeting held on Monday, the Congress discussed its longer-term programme against the Chief Election Commissioner and announced a series of activities intended to keep the matter in public focus until the Winter Session of Parliament. The party has begun referring to the Election Commission as the “Cheating Commission”.
Congress campaign schedule
Under the “Save Vote, Save Country” or “Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao” campaign, Congress workers will organise block-level activities from October 10 to 20. The programme will include bicycle and motorcycle rallies, the burning of an effigy of Gyanesh Kumar and the distribution of leaflets.
From October 25 to November 25, booth-level “Save Vote, Save Country” chaupals, or public meetings, will be held with the participation of senior Congress leaders.
A large rally has been planned at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on November 1. On November 25 and 26, six separate marches will set out from areas around Delhi under the “Chalo Delhi” programme. Each march will be led by a different leader, before all the groups converge in the national capital on November 26, Constitution Day.
The Congress and the Samajwadi Party would ideally like the issue to remain in focus until the Assembly elections scheduled in five states in February. For now, however, the alliance’s stated objective is to maintain the campaign’s momentum until the next parliamentary session.
As the Winter Session is expected to begin after November 26, the Congress plans to raise the issue in Parliament and move an impeachment motion against Gyanesh Kumar.
Supreme Court case under watch
The Opposition is also monitoring proceedings in the Supreme Court, where the Chief Justice is hearing a case related to the Election Commission. The court has issued notices to Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission.
During the proceedings, the court observed that election-related decisions could potentially be stayed if they were not taken unanimously. It has not, however, ordered immediate action against Gyanesh Kumar, noting that newspaper reports may not always be completely accurate. Further hearings in the case are scheduled to continue.
After Tuesday’s march, the Opposition is expected to continue discussions aimed at bringing more parties into the protest programme.
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