The political confrontation over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is set to move to Rashtrapati Bhavan, with President Droupadi Murmu agreeing to meet a delegation of Opposition leaders at 8 pm on Friday.
The meeting comes as the INDIA bloc intensifies its campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, demanding his resignation over alleged irregularities in the voter-list revision exercise.
According to The Indian Express, the President agreed to the meeting following the Opposition’s request for an audience to raise its concerns over the Election Commission’s functioning.
The development marks a significant escalation in the Opposition’s efforts to take the SIR dispute beyond Parliament and street protests to the country’s highest constitutional office.
Opposition Seeks Presidential Intervention
The Opposition has accused the Election Commission of overseeing an electoral-roll revision process that could lead to the exclusion of eligible voters. Its leaders have called for Kumar’s resignation and demanded accountability over the conduct of the SIR exercise.
The Election Commission, however, has defended the process, maintaining that its decisions follow established legal and statutory procedures.
The Opposition delegation is expected to press its concerns before the President, seeking her intervention in a dispute that has increasingly become a flashpoint between the ruling establishment and opposition parties.
From Rajghat to Rashtrapati Bhavan
The proposed meeting follows several days of protests by INDIA bloc MPs in the national capital. On Thursday, Opposition leaders staged a sit-in at Rajghat, continuing their agitation over what they allege are irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls.
The protests have unfolded amid heightened political tensions, with Opposition leaders demanding that the SIR process be halted and that the integrity of electoral rolls be protected.
The move to seek a presidential audience signals an attempt to give the campaign a constitutional dimension, even as the Opposition continues to mobilise politically against the Chief Election Commissioner.
Delhi on Edge Ahead of October 10 Protest
The meeting also comes amid heightened security in Delhi ahead of the proposed October 10 demonstration at Jantar Mantar by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and other groups protesting against Kumar.
Authorities have announced extensive security arrangements, while restrictions on metro services and cancellations of some long-distance trains have raised concerns over the wider impact on commuters and travellers.
