India Bloc to Hold Online Meeting to Discuss Vote Theft Protests and Demand Chief Election Commissioner's Resignation

An online meeting of the INDIA bloc will be held on Thursday evening, October 22, to discuss the roadmap for protests regarding the “vote chori” issue and to press for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, sources said. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will chair the meeting, which will also review the preparations for the INDIA bloc’s rally in Delhi on November 1, they said. Last week, the protests over the “vote theft” charge reached the Supreme Court’s doorstep. On October 12, opposition stalwarts, joined by activists and civil society members, took part in a “March for Democracy” along a heavily barricaded route and filed a joint petition against Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging poll irregularities, in a major show of strength in the national capital. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also hosted INDIA bloc leaders for tea at his home on October 13. After the meeting, the opposition bloc vowed to continue resisting and take the “vote chori” fight to its logical conclusion.