Opposition INDIA bloc parties are likely to meet in New Delhi on September 30 to discuss concerns over the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, besides other issues, sources said.
The proposed meeting comes amid increased coordination among opposition parties following reports of differences within the poll panel over aspects of the SIR exercise. The parties have been in touch with each other and are discussing a joint response, sources added.
The CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML)-Liberation have demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an immediate halt to the SIR, while the Congress has also stepped up its criticism of Kumar. The Congress Working Committee is scheduled to meet on September 29 to discuss the party's strategy on the issue.
The developments have also brought the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and the CPI(M), political rivals in West Bengal, on the same page over the Election Commission issue.
CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby wrote to INDIA bloc and other opposition leaders seeking a meeting over the developments. He subsequently spoke to Banerjee, who agreed that the situation warranted coordinated action, sources said.
Opposition parties are also working on a fresh removal notice against CEC Kumar, which is likely to be submitted in both Houses of Parliament after being vetted by legal experts. It would be the third such attempt by the opposition. Reports on the proposed move have said the notice is being drafted and could be submitted as early as next week.
The latest mobilisation follows an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on several occasions over decisions and orders concerning the SIR. Subsequent reporting said the two commissioners had recorded objections 14 times over a 10-month period on various decisions, including those related to the electoral-roll revision.
The Election Commission has maintained that differing views and observations are a normal part of institutional deliberations and asserted that its orders have full legal sanction and follow statutory procedures.
Earlier, 23 political parties and an Independent MP jointly approached the Chief Justice of India over the SIR process and other election-related issues, underlining the broader coordination among opposition parties on the matter.
(With inputs from PTI)
