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- INDIA Bloc plans Rashtrapati Bhavan march for CEC's resignation.
- Opposition seeks President Murmu's intervention on election allegations.
- Protest highlights claims of poll rigging and voter deletions.
INDIA Bloc Protest: The opposition parties on Friday is set to continue their large-scale protest seeking resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. After three consecutive days of street protest in Delhi, the INDIA Bloc reportedly plan to march to Rashtrapati Bhavan and meet President Draupadi Murmu to press for Kumar's resignation. Earlier on Thursday, the opposition leaders staged a sit-in at Rajghat, alleging poll rigging in the recent assembly polls.
March To Rashtrapati Bhavan
The INDIA Bloc parliamentarians are planning to meet the president to discuss their grievances and seek ouster of the chief election commissioner, reported the Hindustan Times. However, the president's office has reportedly not finalized any meeting yet as President Murmu has been in Himachal Pradesh for three days now. Apart from this, the opposition parties are also likely to discuss a press conference in the national capital.
Earlier on Thursday, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien stated that more opposition parties are likely to join their agitation in the coming days. "After two days of protest on the streets, we decided to have a peaceful dharna at Raj Ghat...More parties will join tomorrow. We will go to Rashtrapati Bhavan," the Rajya Sabha MP said yesterday.
INDIA Bloc's Demands
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, while addressing a press conference last week, alleged that the CEC had attempted to hijack the democracy on behest of the ruling BJP. The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha also alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was conducted to benefit the BJP in the recently conducted polls. Along with seeking the resignation of CEC Kumar, the opposition parties have also demanded an in-depth inquiry in the voters deletions.
"The truth is that Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Mohan Bhagwat, and Gyanesh Kumar have hijacked the country through a criminal conspiracy. They have destroyed the Constitution and stolen votes. They will be brought to justice. This is our guarantee, and you will see it happen," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi told reporters yesterday.
While responding to his allegations, the BJP alleged that the opposition parties have blamed the ECI for their humiliating losses. The ruling party further questioned the opposition's silence on their victory in the recent Tamil Nadu and Keralam assembly polls.