‘No party sought meeting till 4 pm,’ says EC on INDIA bloc protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘No party sought meeting till 4 pm,’ says EC on INDIA bloc protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar")
The Election Commission of India had laid down a procedure in 2025 for meetings with political parties. Photograph: (ANI)
The ECI found the request to be unusual and declined it, citing its protocol that such meetings are held at its premises. The Commission offered to send its most senior serving officer to the Parliament Annexe to receive the memorandum from the MPs, but the MPs declined it.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) said on Tuesday that no political party had sought an appointment with the poll panel before 4 pm, as the INDIA bloc staged protest over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.
Opposition MPs led by the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, marched from Parliament towards the Election Commission headquarters, demanding a meeting with the poll panel and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
The march was stopped by police before the leaders could reach the ECI office, following which several Opposition MPs staged a sit-in.
After the high-voltage protest, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and others were detained by the Delhi Police from Akashvani Bhawan, where they staged a dharna against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The ECI issued a press note later in the day, saying the Delhi Police informed it at around 4 pm that a delegation of MPs led by Rahul Gandhi wanted to meet and submit a memorandum.
The Delhi Police’s deputy commissioner informed the EC that the proposed meeting involved around 240 MPs and was to take place at the Parliament House Annexe.
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The poll panel said its established procedure required political parties or joint delegations of parties to seek an appointment through their authorised representatives.
EC considered ‘unusual’ request and declined it, citing protocol
“The Election Commission of India had laid down a procedure in 2025 for meetings with political parties. All political parties have been informed about this procedure and follow it. Whenever a delegation of a political party, or a joint delegation of several parties, wishes to meet the Commission, it seeks an appointment through its duly authorised representative. The meeting is then held at a time mutually agreed upon by both sides,” the statement read.
The ECI said it considered the request “unusual” and declined it, citing its protocol that such meetings are held at the Commission’s premises.
“When the Election Commission was considering the proposal for the meeting with the MPs after 4 pm today, the DCP of Delhi Police informed it that the meeting being sought was with a group of 240 MPs and that the proposed venue was Parliament House Annexe. The Election Commission considered this request unusual and could not accept it because, as per protocol, such meetings are held only at the premises of the Election Commission of India,” the statement read.
The Commission offered to send its most senior serving officer to the Parliament Annexe to receive the memorandum from the MPs, but the MPs declined it.
“Any political party can request a meeting with the Election Commission at any time, and the Commission can, depending on the availability of time, decide the date and time of the meeting. This is a normal process,” the statement read.
