Rajendra Pal Gautam Demands 200 UP Seats: 'Idea of India Congress Ka'

A major political confrontation has erupted between opposition parties and the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. In Mumbai, Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray held a joint demonstration seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, while the Aam Aadmi Party and left parties staged protests at India Gate in Delhi. The INDIA bloc announced plans to march to the Election Commission office demanding the immediate repeal of the SIR process. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi raised allegations in Hyderabad over fraudulent Form 7 submissions, and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called recent elections illegal, demanding a switch to paper ballots. In an India Today debate, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari defended the poll body, arguing that the Supreme Court has backed the SIR process and accusing the opposition of questioning constitutional bodies only when they lose. Congress spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa and Shiv Sena Shinde faction spokesperson Susi Ben Shah presented conflicting perspectives on voter deletions and electoral integrity.

A debate unfolds over the Election Commission of India and the electoral verification process, featuring Bharatiya Janata Party National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari, Congress National Spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa, and Shiv Sena spokesperson Susie Shah. Bhandari defends the constitutional validity and consensus-driven functioning of the Election Commission, asserting that 'street anarchy cannot replace representative democracy' and criticising the opposition for crying foul only upon facing electoral defeats. Kalappa counters by accusing the ruling party of weaponising the poll watchdog and facilitating mass disenfranchisement, alleging that nearly 44 lakh voter deletions were attempted in Karnataka using Form 7. Meanwhile, Shah rejects the Congress allegations as baseless narratives lacking legal affidavits, defending the voter roll rationalisation and corrective measures. The panellists spar fiercely over EVMs, electoral integrity, and political legitimacy across key states including Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana.

A political confrontation has intensified between the opposition and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party over allegations surrounding the electoral process and the Election Commission. Following demonstrations in Mumbai involving Congress, Shiv Sena UBT, MNS, and NCP SP demanding the Chief Election Commissioner's resignation, protests spread to Delhi with the Aam Aadmi Party and left parties demonstrating against the SIR exercise. Amid these demonstrations, three women journalists alleged police sexual harassment during an October 3rd protest at Jantar Mantar, leading to a Crime Branch probe. In Hyderabad, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi accused Bharatiya Janata Party and RSS workers of filing false form seven objections, seeking intervention from the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party accused the Congress of adopting a selective stance towards the poll body depending on election outcomes. Separately, the National Human Rights Commission directed Mumbai Police to investigate reports regarding the participation of minor children in the Mumbai demonstrations.

Parties of the INDIA bloc have decided to hold joint demonstrations outside the Election Commission office in Delhi against the special intensive revision of electoral rolls and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. According to a statement by Delhi Congress General Secretary Anil Bharadwaj, representatives from Congress, CPI, CPI(M), RJD, NCP, and RSP agreed to oppose the revision process and seek its repeal, maintaining that the voter list is democracy's foundation. Opposition MPs plan to march from Parliament to the Election Commission office, followed by Delhi unit demonstrations and pan-India protests to raise concerns over the electoral process.