Rahul Gandhi 'stunned' after President meeting, INDIA bloc to approach CJI over 'vote chori' claims

Gandhi said the President had asked the Opposition to provide evidence to support its claims. "We have all the proof of how elections were stolen.

"The entire country has seen it," he said after the meeting.

The Congress leader also announced that the Opposition would approach the Supreme Court on Monday to meet the Chief Justice of India and submit a memorandum on the alleged electoral irregularities.

The President's office did not issue an immediate statement on the discussions.

INDIA bloc's four key demands

Gandhi led a group of Opposition MPs and leaders in a march from Parliament towards Rashtrapati Bhavan, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

A smaller delegation of 10 leaders was eventually allowed to meet President Murmu, while other Opposition leaders staged a sit-in at Kartavya Path, holding placards reading "Gyanesh, it's done bro!" and raising slogans alleging "vote chori" and collusion between the Election Commission and the BJP-led government.

The memorandum submitted to the President outlined four principal demands:

• Resignation of the CEC: The Opposition demanded Gyanesh Kumar's resignation and repeal of the 2023 law that provides immunity to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners for acts performed in the discharge of their official duties.
• Restoration of deleted voters: It called for an immediate suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and restoration of all 13.3 crore voters allegedly deleted from electoral rolls.
• Return to paper ballots: The bloc demanded that paper ballots replace electronic voting machines in all elections.
• Review of recent Assembly elections: The Opposition sought the repeal of Assembly election results over the past two years in cases where it claims conclusive evidence of electoral fraud has been presented.

The march followed a meeting of around 150 INDIA bloc MPs and other leaders in Parliament's Central Hall.

Representatives of 16 political parties signed the memorandum, raising concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission of India.

Rahul Gandhi says Opposition protests have 'shaken' government

Speaking during the day's proceedings, Gandhi said the Opposition's demonstrations over the past several days had "shaken the foundation of the government".

Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jha, who was part of the delegation that met the President, said the Opposition wanted changes to what it described as a dishonest electoral system.

"The demand is the same as that of the entire country: to dismantle the entire structure of dishonesty, and Gyanesh Kumar is standing like a shield," Jha said.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi also praised those participating in demonstrations in support of electoral reforms, saying citizens were contributing to efforts to strengthen democracy regardless of their political affiliations.

CJP protest in Delhi triggers security restrictions

The Opposition's outreach to the President comes ahead of a protest called by the youth movement Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, October 10.

The movement had previously staged demonstrations over the NEET paper leak controversy in July, following which the education minister resigned.

Ahead of Saturday's protest, the government has deployed thousands of police personnel and ordered a 24-hour mobile internet shutdown within a 4-km radius of the Janpath-Kartavya Path crossing, beginning at 10 pm on Friday.

Authorities have also announced the closure of entry and exit gates at 57 Delhi Metro stations and the cancellation of more than 60 incoming trains scheduled to reach New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations on Saturday.

Gandhi, meanwhile, is scheduled to be in Chennai on Saturday as part of his ongoing student outreach programme, 'Chhatron Ki Goonj'.

Kharge criticises restrictions, BJP hits back

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of acting out of fear, referring to the Metro closures and train cancellations ahead of the CJP protest.

"A person who is afraid will die tomorrow, if not today," Kharge said.

He also alleged that the actions of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had created an atmosphere of fear and endangered democracy, adding that the Opposition wanted to apprise President Murmu of its concerns.

The BJP rejected the Opposition's allegations. Party leader JP Nadda cited recent bypoll victories by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as evidence of continued public support for the ruling coalition.

In a post on X, Nadda referred to results in Nagaon in Assam and the Assembly constituencies of Nandigram, Rejinagar and Thattanchavady, arguing that the outcomes reflected voters' confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and the NDA's policies.

"The INDI Alliance's repeated electoral defeats reflect its declining public trust. Questioning institutions instead of introspecting only exposes its political desperation," Nadda said.

The political confrontation comes as the INDIA bloc presses for changes to electoral procedures and accountability within the Election Commission, while the BJP maintains that the Opposition's allegations are an attempt to discredit institutions following electoral setbacks.