As negotiations among the INDIA bloc parties continue to build pace for a meeting on September 30, sources indicated that former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee spoke to the top leadership of the Congress regarding problems pertaining to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Leading sources informed India The Constitution Club of India (CCI) in New Delhi will host a meeting of the INDIA bloc on September 30. The meeting is anticipated to be attended by all of the opposition bloc's leading leaders. The leaders of the INDIA group have not yet been announced, though.
According to reports, in addition to other matters, opposition INDIA bloc parties are likely to talk about their concerns over the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of election rolls.
Following reports of disagreements within the poll panel on several areas of the SIR exercise, the opposition parties have strengthened their coordination over the Election Commission, leading to the suggested meeting. According to insiders, the parties have communicated with one another on the matter and are talking on a coordinated response.
The INDIA bloc parties had been consulting about holding an early summit, and the plan has now come to fruition. The opposition's worries over the SIR exercise and other matters pertaining to CEC Gyanesh Kumar would be the main topics of discussion.
Speaking to Rahul Gandhi, Abhishek Banerjee
Abhishek Banerjee and other senior members of the Trinamool Congress have also discussed Gyanesh Kumar with Rahul Gandhi, the Congress Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Earlier this week, Rahul Gandhi and Abhishek Banerjee spoke over the phone about Gyanesh Kumar and purported vote violations.
As part of the deliberations, MA Baby, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has been addressing other INDIA bloc parties. After writing to the INDIA group and other opposition leaders to request a meeting regarding the events, Baby talked with Mamata Banerjee, who concurred that coordinated action was necessary.
TMC and CPI(M) UNITE ON THE EC ISSUE
The TMC and CPI(M), West Bengal's political foes, have united on the Election Commission issue as a result of the developments. Mamata Banerjee has responded favorably to the outreach, but the Left parties have called for more extensive opposition collaboration regarding the SIR initiative.
The Congress has intensified its criticism of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, while the CPI(M), CPI, and CPI(ML)-Liberation have called for Kumar's dismissal and an immediate end to the SIR. On September 29, the Congress Working Committee will convene to deliberate on its approach to the matter.
Following the India Bloc meeting, a joint press conference is scheduled.
The concerns pertaining to CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission are the main focus of the September 30 meeting. According to sources, following the INDIA bloc meeting, opposition leaders are also organizing a joint press conference.
The purpose of the planned joint press conference is to discuss Gyanesh Kumar and the opposition's worries about the Election Commission. According to sources, attempts are being made "in a big way" to bring up the criminal procedures and Gyanesh Kumar's removal.
Additionally, opposition parties are preparing a new removal notice against CEC Kumar, which would probably be presented in both Houses of Parliament following legal experts' review. This would be the opposition's third attempt of such kind.
LATEST MOBILIZATION OF EC DISSENT ROW TRIGGER
The most recent mobilization comes after the Indian Express revealed that Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu have repeatedly objected to rulings and directives pertaining to the SIR. The report stated that throughout the previous ten months, the two Election Commissioners had formally opposed to decisions pertaining to the exercise at least fourteen times.
The Election Commission has stated that its orders have complete legal legitimacy and adhere to statutory procedures, and that differing opinions and observations are a typical component of institutional deliberations.
The Chief Justice of India was previously approached by 23 political parties and an Independent MP regarding the SIR procedure and other election-related matters, highlighting the wider opposition cooperation on the matter.
MAMATA'S OUTREACH IS MOCKED BY DILIP GHOSH
BJP leader Dilip Ghosh ridiculed Mamata Banerjee's outreach after she called CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby to request an INDIA bloc meeting next week.
"There is nothing left for her here, so she must now travel to Delhi. When they first invited her, she declined. Let's see what transpires now that she is the one requesting a meeting," Ghosh remarked.
To finalize the meeting and coordinate their reaction to the Election Commission and SIR, the INDIA bloc parties have been consulting. Opposition leaders will conduct a joint press conference on September 30 after the opposition gathering in Delhi.
