An important meeting of the opposition INDIA bloc is scheduled to be held in New Delhi today, with several senior alliance leaders expected to participate. The meeting will discuss the controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the functioning of the Election Commission, and the demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Opposition parties are expected to discuss a joint movement against alleged irregularities in the SIR process and may also consider a draft proposal prepared for introducing a motion in both Houses of Parliament seeking the removal of Gyanesh Kumar.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh and K.C. Venugopal are expected to attend the meeting. Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee are also expected to participate.
Leaders from several other opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party (SP), CPI, CPI(M), NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), are also expected to attend.
However, not all opposition parties will participate. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and DMK have decided to stay away from the meeting. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav will also not attend personally because of work related to Rajya Sabha election nominations in Uttar Pradesh. The party will send a representative in his place.
The main agenda of the meeting is the opposition's strategy regarding the SIR process. Opposition parties have alleged irregularities in the process of changes to electoral rolls. The INDIA bloc plans to formulate a joint movement around the issue.
The meeting is also expected to discuss a possible strategy for introducing a motion in Parliament seeking the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal has said that the party wants to move forward with other political parties towards a larger movement on issues related to democracy. According to him, the future action plan for the movement will be finalised on the basis of suggestions received from INDIA bloc leaders.
The meeting comes amid public discussion over differences within the Election Commission concerning certain decisions related to SIR.
According to a report by The Indian Express, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally recorded objections on at least 14 occasions between November 2025 and September 2026 regarding decisions and procedures of the Commission. The objections reportedly included issues related to electoral roll revision, access to election records and certain technical procedures.
Following these reports, opposition parties have intensified their objections to the Election Commission's decision-making process and the SIR exercise. Some opposition parties are demanding the CEC's resignation, while preparations are reportedly underway to bring a new proposal in Parliament seeking his removal.
The Election Commission has said that different views and comments emerging during an institutional process are normal. The Commission has maintained that its orders have legal validity and are issued through prescribed legal procedures.
The SIR dispute has now reached both the political and legal spheres. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition challenging the functioning of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the validity of the SIR process. The petition raises questions about the decision-making process within the Election Commission and decisions related to SIR.
