Opposition parties on Wednesday demanded that paper ballots replace electronic voting machines (EVMs) and announced a five-point programme targeting the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He also called for reversing recent election law amendments. A Congress leader said it was a reference to the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, which grants legal immunity to the CEC and Election Commissioners.
“Everyone has decided to fight together in a united manner,” declared Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge after a three-and-a-half-hour strategy session. He confirmed that all participating leaders “100% agreed that instead of EVMs, paper ballots should be used”.
The INDIA bloc accused the CEC and the government of manipulating voter rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise to subvert electoral integrity. “Modi and Shah are treating the Election Commission of India as their puppet. “First, Modi did notebandi; now he is doing votebandi to rob citizens of their rights. It questions his very integrity and intentions. 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.
Therefore, he should be removed from his position. They are winning elections by deceit,” Kharge said, comparing the SIR deletions to the 2016 high-value currency ban. The Congress president also compared the SIR of electoral rolls with the government’s demonitisation decision in 2016, reiterating a point that he had made at Tuesday’s Congress Working Committee meeting as well. Earlier reporting noted: INDIA bloc meeting: Kharge bats for pre-SIR electoral roll for future polls; voting through ballots instead of EVMs 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. Earlier reporting noted: “His two fellow members have written 14 times in 10 months!
As part of the five-point programme, Kharge said the INDIA bloc leaders would organise “Save Democracy” marches throughout the country from October 2 to 8 with the involvement of the general public, youth and “everyone who believe in democracy and unity”. Leaders of the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (SP), Shiv Sena (UBT), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, People’s Democratic Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation, Indian Union Muslim League, Kerala Congress (Mani), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Kerala Congress (Jacob), and the All India Forward Bloc participated in the meeting, according to Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh. Earlier reporting noted: The Congress chief claimed that the CEC “stands totally exposed”. Kharge said.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said all parties agreed that PM Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and CEC Gyanesh Kumar had assaulted Indian democracy. He said the Opposition had been successful in putting across the concern about manipulation of elections and promised changes.
