Opposition Marches to Supreme Court, Files Joint Plea Over Poll Irregularities

NEW DELHI, Oct 12: Opposition parties on Monday intensified their campaign against alleged electoral irregularities, with senior INDIA bloc leaders leading a march through central Delhi to the Supreme Court and filing a joint petition challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged large scale voter deletions.

The demonstration, organised under the banner of a “March for Democracy”, witnessed the participation of several prominent political leaders, activists, lawyers and civil society members. The protesters assembled in Connaught Place before proceeding towards the Supreme Court through Barakhamba Road, raising slogans against the Election Commission and the alleged manipulation of electoral rolls.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and CPI leader D Raja were among those who participated. Other prominent attendees included CPI(M) leader M A Baby, NCP-SCP leader Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and several regional party representatives.

The joint petition names the Election Commission of India (ECI), Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi as respondents. The opposition parties have raised concerns over alleged voter deletions and irregularities associated with the electoral roll revision exercise.

After the march, Kharge reaffirmed the opposition’s resolve to continue its campaign. In a post on X, he said the INDIA bloc’s fight against alleged vote theft would continue and asserted that those responsible would eventually be held accountable.

The protest followed the Chief Justice of India’s decision to decline a request from the Leaders of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for a meeting on the issue, citing the matter’s sub judice status.

Addressing an event ahead of the march, Chief Justice Surya Kant said the Supreme Court remained accessible to everyone, including ordinary citizens and elected representatives, when asked how opposition leaders could present their grievances.

The opposition had sought a meeting with the CJI to submit a memorandum demanding an end to alleged electoral manipulation, the resignation of the CEC, a halt to the SIR exercise and a return to paper ballots.

Barricades crossed as protesters raise slogans

The march witnessed tense moments when Delhi Police personnel stopped the procession at Bhagwan Dass Road. Several leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Tejashwi Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav, climbed onto a vehicle as demonstrators moved past the barricades.

Supporters waved party flags and raised slogans against the government and the Election Commission. Protesters also displayed posters and banners highlighting their concerns over electoral transparency.

A large number of lawyers, students and activists joined the gathering. Some young participants wore Batman masks and costumes, while anti-government slogans were painted on pavements and roads at several locations, including the Mandi House roundabout.

Employees working in offices along Barakhamba Road watched the procession and recorded videos as the crowd moved towards the Supreme Court.

The march also saw the participation of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor, Sachin Pilot and Mukul Wasnik, along with TMC leader Sagarika Ghosh and activists Yogendra Yadav and Nandita Narain, were also present.

Other participants included CPI(ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya, JMM leader Mahua Majhi, IUML leader E T Mohammed Basheer and AISA chief Neha Bora.

INDIA bloc leaders and supporters had gathered earlier at the Constitution Club before travelling in buses to the Barakhamba Road junction, from where the march began.

The joint petition was filed by Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, TMC MP Saugata Roy, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Supriya Sule, Sanjay Raut, D Raja, Mahua Majhi, M A Baby and E T Mohammed Basheer, among others. Gandhi and Kharge later returned to the Supreme Court with other opposition leaders to sign documents connected with the legal proceedings.

BJP dismisses demonstration as political theatrics

The BJP criticised the opposition’s march, describing it as a political exercise intended to attract public attention rather than address its electoral setbacks.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused the Congress of seeking support from different groups to gain power and alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s leadership lacked a clear political vision.

The ruling party has consistently rejected the opposition’s allegations against the Election Commission, while the INDIA bloc has demanded greater accountability and transparency in the conduct of elections.

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi announced the decision to approach the Supreme Court after the CJI declined the opposition leaders’ request for a meeting. Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters, he urged CEC Gyanesh Kumar to resign and cooperate with any inquiry into the allegations.

Gandhi claimed that the chief election commissioner was not the principal decision-maker behind the alleged irregularities and called on him to disclose what he knew. He also asserted that the opposition’s campaign would continue for as long as necessary.

The Congress leader alleged that around 200 government officials were in contact with the opposition and were sharing information. He did not provide further details about the officials or the information they had allegedly supplied.

Describing the growing protests as a spontaneous public movement, Gandhi urged supporters to remain engaged, arguing that concerns over electoral integrity could not be resolved in a short period.

Restrictions on protest venues add to tensions

The march came amid changes to Delhi’s designated protest locations. Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar issued an order removing Jantar Mantar from the list of approved demonstration sites and identifying Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi as alternative venues.

The decision became another point of contention between the opposition and the authorities, with Congress leaders accusing the government of restricting democratic expression.

The INDIA bloc had previously attempted to march from Parliament to the Election Commission’s office but was stopped by police. Rahul Gandhi subsequently staged a sit-in at the Akashvani Bhawan complex. Opposition leaders later attempted to demonstrate at Jantar Mantar before police intervened, followed by a march to Rajghat.

A separate protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party against CEC Kumar was also stalled amid a substantial security deployment.

The opposition’s latest mobilisation follows reports alleging differences within the Election Commission over aspects of its functioning. According to one such report, Election Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over the preceding 10 months, including on matters related to the SIR exercise.

The allegations and reported internal disagreements have added to the political dispute over electoral roll revisions. The opposition has maintained that the process requires scrutiny, while the Election Commission and the BJP have faced mounting demands to respond to the claims.

With the joint petition now before the Supreme Court, the dispute over voter deletions, electoral roll revision and the functioning of the poll panel is set to remain a major political and legal issue.