Indian Opposition Parties Protest Against Electoral Roll Revision

Delhi units of INDIA bloc parties will hold a joint protest outside the Delhi Election Commission office on October 7 against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The decision was taken at a meeting of representatives of the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), RJD, NCP and RSP, among other parties, the Delhi Congress said in a statement on Sunday. The parties described the SIR exercise as "flawed" and called for its immediate repeal, while demanding that the electoral roll revision process be conducted transparently and in accordance with constitutional provisions and voters' rights. Delhi Congress general secretary Anil Bhardwaj said the INDIA bloc would not accept any process that could result in the deletion of voters' names or affect their electoral rights. "The voter list is the foundation of democracy. If any process is adopted that could potentially remove voters' names or impact their rights, the INDIA Alliance will not accept it at any cost," Bhardwaj said. He said the October 7 protest would seek to protect the rights of Delhi voters, ensure free and fair elections, and safeguard the democratic system. The meeting was attended by CPI secretary Dinesh C Varshanay, CPI(M) general secretary Anurag Saxena, RJD's Naval Kishore and representatives of the NCP and RSP, besides Congress leaders. (With inputs from PTI)