‘President Didn’t Deny Vote Chori, Asked for Evidence’: Opposition Delegation Meets Droupadi Murmu Over Election Commission Row
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
New Delhi: A delegation of opposition leaders from the INDIA bloc met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday evening to submit a formal memorandum alleging widespread "vote chori" (vote theft) and calling for the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Following the high-profile meeting, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi told reporters that President Murmu "in no way denied what we said" and requested concrete evidence to support the opposition's claims.
The 10-member opposition panel featured prominent political figures, including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. The meeting took place shortly after security forces intercepted hundreds of marching opposition MPs at Vijay Chowk earlier in the day, allowing only the designated delegation to proceed to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Opposition Outlines Four Key Demands in Memorandum
The memorandum delivered to the President focuses on four primary demands aimed at restoring public trust in the country's democratic setup:
- Resignation of CEC: Immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged bias and electoral discrepancies.
- Halt to Revision Drive: Immediate suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and the reinstatement of deleted voters.
- Return to Paper Ballots: Abandoning Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in favour of physical paper ballots for all upcoming elections.
- Review of Past Elections: A comprehensive judicial review of electoral processes conducted over the last two years.
President Requested Supporting Evidence, Says Mamata Banerjee
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the dialogue at Rashtrapati Bhavan as constructive and attentive. "We submitted our memorandum, and the President listened carefully. She asked us to provide supporting evidence and assured us she would look into the details," Banerjee told media personnel outside Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Rahul Gandhi reaffirmed that the INDIA bloc will assemble and present complete documentation of alleged voter roll deletions to the President shortly. He also revealed plans for the opposition leadership to meet Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday to submit a copy of the memorandum.
