INDIA bloc meet LIVE: Opposition's ‘public impeachment’ of CEC deferred; Rahul Gandhi to address media shortly
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: The "public impeachment" of CEC Gyanesh Kumar by the INDIA bloc has been deferred owing the bad weather and rainfall in Delhi. As per party sources, a new date for the event will be announced soon.
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: The Opposition INDIA bloc's "public impeachment" of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has been deferred owing to bad weather and rainfall in Delhi, people familiar with the matter told HT....Read More
The proceedings were set to begin at 3:30pm on Friday at the residence of Congress national president and Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge. However, sources told HT that due to waterlogging at Kharge's residence, the event stands postponed.
The INDIA bloc's call for the impeachment comes as the row against the official and the Election Commission of India continues.
Congress general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal, senior Congress leader Meira Kumar, TMC's Derek O'Brien, Samajwadi Party's Harendra Malik, JMM's Mahua Maji and CPI(M)'s John Brittas, among others, participated in the preparatory meeting on Thursday and are expected to be present at the proceeding today.
“The CEC has demonstrably violated the letter and spirit of the Constitution. He has systematically subverted the very foundations of our electoral democracy. He has, to put it bluntly, lied to the Supreme Court. He has been the willing executioner on behalf of the Diabolical Duo whose turn will come next,” wrote Jairam Ramesh while announcing the public impeachment call.
INDIA bloc's "public impeachment" comes as a symbolic protest amid the ongoing stir against the CEC and the polling body over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the country.
The Opposition has alleged irregularities in the electoral rolls after the SIR, as well as vote theft during the elections. Due to this, the INDIA bloc has called for Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.
Congress' ‘Chalo Dilli’ march on Nov 1
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has called for a protest rally at Ramilia Maidan on November 1 amid the Opposition's call for the resignation of the CEC.
Along with Congress, INDIA bloc MPs have also backed the call and are expected to join the protest in Delhi.
Apart from Opposition leaders, pressure group Cockroach Janta Party has also announced its support for the November 1 rally.
"The fundamental principle of democracy is that people get to choose their government, not that the government gets to choose its voters. By undermining this very principle through SIR, Gyanesh Kumar has lost the trust required to oversee free and fair elections. His resignation is therefore necessary to restore the credibility and independence of the Election Commission," the CJP wrote in a statement earlier this week.
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- 30 Oct 2026, 01:11:07 PM IST
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: ‘Public impeachment’ of CEC deferred due to bad weather
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: The INDIA bloc has deferred its “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. People familiar with the matter have told HT that the postponement comes due to bad weather and rain in Delhi.
- 30 Oct 2026, 01:00:10 PM IST
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: Telangana BJP chief calls Congress' Ramlila Maidan protest 'political drama'
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Telangana president N Ramchander Rao on Friday criticised the Congress over its proposed protest at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, calling it a "political drama" and alleging that the party was spreading false narratives about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
"The Congress is not confident of gathering people in Delhi. So they are now trying to build up a false, concocted story that people are being stopped. No one will stop these people. Wherever they want to go, they can go. But the only problem is that they are spreading false narratives and false theories in the public," he told news agency ANI.
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- 30 Oct 2026, 12:20:58 PM IST
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: Pawan Khera alleges people being stopped from attending Nov 1 rally
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: Congress leader Pawan Khera has alleged that efforts were being made to stop people from attending the INDIA bloc rally scheduled for November 1 at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan. He claimed that trains had been cancelled in Telangana and people were being prevented from travelling to the national capital for the event.
Speaking to reporters after inspecting the venue on Thursday, Khera alleged that similar attempts were being made in several states but said the Opposition alliance would continue with its plans.
"Pressure is being created. Trains were cancelled in Telangana and people were not allowed to come here. Such attempts are being made in several states. But we won't stop," he said.
- 30 Oct 2026, 12:06:33 PM IST
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: Why was 'mock parliament' changed to 'public impeachment'? JMM MP clarifies
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: INDIA bloc meet LIVE: Ahead of the INDIA bloc's "public impeachment" of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MP
Mahua Maji has explained as to why the name was changed from 'mock parliament.
"The name 'Mock Parliament' has been changed to 'Public Impeachment,' as the initiative aims to bring the voice of the public to the forefront... This 'Public Impeachment' is a form of democratic protest... Everyone involved wants to treat this with the utmost seriousness; to ensure that gravity is maintained, we have decided to move away from the 'ruling side versus Opposition' framework. Instead, everyone will have the opportunity to voice their concerns," she told news agency ANI.
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- 30 Oct 2026, 11:57:10 AM IST
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: John Brittas accuses Centre of 'martial law-like' crackdown ahead of public impeachment
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: CPI(M) MP John Brittas on Friday accused the central government of enforcing a "martial law-like" clampdown in the national capital to suppress a massive public mobilisation, ahead of the opposition INDIA bloc's symbolic "public impeachment" of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
"Know the way to fight for it. And this public impeachment will be the reflection of the aspirations of crores and crores of these people, which our founding fathers underscored, saying that the soul of democracy is the voting right of the people," CPI(M) MP John Brittas told news agency ANI, adding that the government has "become paranoid."
"The government has become so paranoid. The panic button has been pressed. Police and central forces have been deployed. More or less, the borders have been sealed. Bus operators have been pressured. Train services are being cancelled. People are not being issued even train tickets. This is like martial law clamped on India," Brittas claimed.
- 30 Oct 2026, 11:47:58 AM IST
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: BJP plans counter to Oppn with 'save democracy, remove anarchy' campaign
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: Amid the Opposition's protests against the Chief Election Commissioner, the BJP has intensified preparations to counter the INDIA bloc’s campaign over the SIR exercise. BJP national president Nitin Nabin chaired meetings at the party headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday to review the ongoing ‘Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy’ campaign and discuss the party’s response to the Opposition’s allegations.
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- 30 Oct 2026, 11:23:58 AM IST
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: Pappu Yadav calls for discussion on impeachment of CEC
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: Ahead of the INDIA bloc's "public impeachment", independent MP Pappu Yadav has called for the government to convene the house for a discussion on the impeachment of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
"The entire opposition and the nation at large are calling for the impeachment of Gyanesh Kumar... The people of this country have been out on the streets, yet this govt acts like a dictator... They are violating the sanctity of our institutions in an illegitimate manner," Yadav told news agency ANI.
- 30 Oct 2026, 11:20:22 AM IST
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: Posters of ‘mock parliament’ put up in parts of Delhi ahead of Opposition meeting.
INDIA bloc meet LIVE: Ahead of the INDIA bloc's meeting for a “public impeachment," posters of a mock parliament have been put up across parts of Delhi.
Congress' "public impeachment" call was earlier referred to as a "mock parliament" after it was denied permission to hold the event at public venues.
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