From CEC’s resignation to paper ballots: INDIA bloc’s 4 demands to President Murmu

The INDIA bloc on Friday (October 9) submitted a four-point memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu, alleging large-scale electoral manipulation by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and seeking sweeping changes to the election system. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi later claimed that Murmu “did not deny” the allegations during the meeting. Instead of questioning or arguing with the Opposition leaders, she asked them to submit proof of their claims, he said. The meeting comes amid protests over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demands for action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

What are the INDIA bloc’s four demands?

The memorandum accuses Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of undermining India’s electoral system. It alleges that electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter lists were manipulated in several elections.

The bloc’s four demands are:

• Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation: Remove the Chief Election Commissioner and repeal the 2023 law granting immunity to election commissioners for acts performed in their official capacity.
• Restore deleted voter names: Suspend the SIR process and reinstate 13.30 crore voters allegedly removed from electoral rolls.
• Return to paper ballots: Replace EVM-based voting with paper ballots for all elections.
• Repeal disputed elections: Annul Assembly elections held over the past two years where the bloc claims conclusive evidence of “vote chori” exists.

Why has the bloc approached Murmu?

The leaders argued that Article 326 of the Constitution, which provides for adult suffrage, underpins representative democracy. They accused the Election Commission of failing to safeguard that right and alleged irregularities in elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Delhi and West Bengal.

The memorandum said the President’s office was a final recourse when other avenues had failed. The allegations against the BJP and the Election Commission remain claims made by the Opposition.