Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi to meet CJI on voter roll revision, ECI functioning

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said he and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi will meet Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday to raise concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI), and the alleged "vote theft".

Both leaders separately wrote to the Chief Justice and were scheduled to meet him between 4 pm and 5 pm on Monday, Kharge told the media in Bengaluru and Kalaburagi.

"We will place our concerns before him and request his intervention. We are not going there to make any demands, but to apprise him of the situation," the AICC president said.


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The Congress has stepped up its campaign against the SIR exercise, alleging that the voter-list revision process is being used to disenfranchise genuine voters ahead of elections. The party has also questioned the independence of the Election Commission, allegations that the poll body has repeatedly denied.

Escalating his attack on the Narendra Modi government, Kharge alleged that an "undeclared Emergency" prevailed in the country and accused the Centre of attempting to suppress democratic dissent.

He referred to heavy security arrangements in Delhi ahead of the Congress party’s proposed protest against the SIR exercise on Monday, and said the deployment of thousands of police and paramilitary personnel reflected the government's apprehension over public opposition to its policies. He alleged that restrictions on movement and communication during the protest undermined democratic freedom.

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The AICC president also questioned the functioning of the Election Commission, claiming it was not being allowed to operate independently despite being a constitutional body entrusted with conducting free and fair elections. He further alleged that irregularities in the electoral process were helping the ruling establishment secure political advantage.

“All of this is happening because they want vote theft to continue. So far, whatever vote theft has occurred has been used to form governments at the center and in the states,” the veteran Congress leader said.

Kharge reiterated his criticism of the 2023 law governing the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, alleging that it weakened institutional accountability. He claimed the changes had created an environment in which alleged electoral irregularities could go unchecked.

The remarks come amid an intensifying political battle between the Congress and the BJP over the SIR exercise and voter-list management. Kharge said the Congress would continue its campaign against what it called attempts to undermine democratic institutions and constitutional rights.