INDIA Bloc Takes 'Vote Chori' Charge to President Murmu, Says She Asked for Proof

The opposition's campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar reached Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday evening. A 10-member INDIA bloc delegation met President Droupadi Murmu and gave her a memorandum alleging that elections have been rigged on a large scale. Afterwards, Rahul Gandhi said the President had asked the opposition for evidence. The week began with a march on the Election Commission and continued with two days of detentions in central Delhi (see our earlier coverage).

Who went in, and what they asked for

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee led the delegation. It also included National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, NCP's Supriya Sule, CPI(M)'s M A Baby, CPI's D Raja, VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan and representatives of the Samajwadi Party and RJD.

The memorandum says MPs representing more than 60% of the population were approaching the President with grave alarm. It accuses Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of subverting the electoral system and claims the CEC misled the Supreme Court. Its demands are:

• the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar and repeal of the 2023 law that gives the CEC and election commissioners lifelong legal immunity;
• immediate suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and restoration of what the bloc says are 13.30 crore wrongly deleted voters;
• a return to paper ballots for all elections;
• annulment of Assembly elections held in the last two years where, the bloc says, conclusive evidence of vote theft has been presented.

These are the opposition's allegations. The government and the BJP have rejected the campaign as an attack on constitutional institutions. The Election Commission has defended the SIR exercise.

Competing readings of the meeting

The participants described the meeting in different ways. Rahul Gandhi said he had expected the President to defend the electoral system and was surprised when she did not dispute the bloc's claims and instead asked for proof. Kharge said she listened carefully and said she would examine the matter, consult the parties concerned and decide what to do. Mamata Banerjee called the response positive. The bloc says it is compiling evidence to submit. Rashtrapati Bhavan had not issued its own account of the meeting by late evening, so the opposition's version is the only one available so far.

A tense run-up

The meeting came after another day of confrontation. Opposition MPs marched from Parliament but were stopped at Vijay Chowk, where several sat in protest while the delegation went on. Opposition MPs criticised heavy security in the capital, including metro station closures and internet restrictions. Trinamool's Derek O'Brien said the two-page memorandum was ready only around 7.30 pm and that leaders had to collect signatures outside because police would not let them regroup.

Why it matters

Appealing to the President is largely symbolic. She acts on the advice of the Union Cabinet and cannot remove the CEC on her own. Still, the move raises the political stakes and puts the bloc's evidence on the record. Opposition leaders say street protests will continue, and the legal challenge to how the CEC and election commissioners are appointed is still pending in the Supreme Court. What evidence the bloc submits, and whether Rashtrapati Bhavan responds formally, will shape the next phase.

This is an original summary based on public reporting. See our editorial policy for how we source, write, and correct our stories.