India bloc meeting: Kharge bats for pre-SIR electoral roll for future polls; voting through ballots instead of EVMs
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has called for the INDIA bloc to demand a return to paper ballots and the use of pre-SIR electoral rolls. He also demanded the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, citing concerns over electoral integrity.
Why it matters
This reflects growing tensions between the Indian opposition and the Election Commission, highlighting debates over the transparency of the democratic process.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday (September 30, 2026) batted for pre-SIR electoral roll to be used for future elections and voting through ballots instead of EVMs, as he stressed on unity in the opposition INDIA bloc with a joint action plan.
In his opening remarks at the INDIA bloc meeting, Mr. Kharge said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar should resign and turn approver against the powers “interfering” in electoral rolls
The Congress chief claimed that the CEC “stands totally exposed”.
“His two fellow members have written 14 times in 10 months! It questions his very integrity and intentions. Therefore, he should be removed from his position. If he has even an iota of Constitutional or moral shame left in him, he will resign himself and turn approver against the powers who are interfering in our electoral rolls,” Mr. Kharge said.
Also covering this story
One other newsroom covered this event. We read that version too.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in