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Cracks in the INDIA bloc: Who skipped the September 30 meeting

Cracks in the INDIA bloc: Who skipped the September 30 meeting

AAP, DMK and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav all skipped the INDIA bloc meeting on September 30.

The meeting focused on a joint agitation over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

It also aimed to reiterate demands for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.

AAP said it would still support an impeachment motion against the CEC in Parliament.

The absences highlighted continuing differences within the opposition grouping.

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the party would back an impeachment motion against Gyanesh Kumar in Parliament, despite skipping the meeting.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also skipped the meeting.

The dispute traces partly to an investigative report alleging that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding SIR-related decisions and procedures.

The Special Intensive Revision is a process in which the Election Commission re-verifies electoral rolls, requiring voters to fill enumeration forms and flagging discrepancies for further checks.

Several opposition parties have separately alleged irregularities in how the SIR exercise has been conducted in different states.

The absence of AAP, DMK and Akhilesh Yadav from the meeting highlighted continuing differences within the opposition grouping.

The INDIA bloc is a coalition of opposition parties formed ahead of recent general elections.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar heads the Election Commission of India, the constitutional body overseeing elections.

An impeachment motion against a Chief Election Commissioner requires a specific parliamentary process and a significant threshold of support to proceed.

Coordination among opposition parties on election-related issues has varied across different states and specific grievances in recent years.

The Special Intensive Revision process has been rolled out in phases across different states over recent months.

Civil society groups have also raised questions about the transparency of the SIR verification process in some states.

Parliament House, New Delhi (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India

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