'No party sought meeting till 4 pm': EC on INDIA bloc sit-in against CEC Gyanesh Kumar
Here's the latest protest news from across India:
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday shared no political party had formally sought an appointment with the poll panel before 4 pm, as the INDIA bloc's protest over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls escalated in New Delhi. Track live updates
Adding to this, Opposition MPs led by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi marched from Parliament towards the Election Commission headquarters, demanding a meeting with the poll panel and the resignation of chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. (ECI/X, HT) This came hours after Opposition MPs led by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi marched from Parliament towards the Election Commission headquarters, demanding a meeting with the poll panel and the resignation of chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The march was stopped by police before the leaders could reach the ECI office, following which several Opposition MPs staged a sit-in.
Meanwhile, In a press note issued later in the day, the ECI shared it was informed by Delhi Police at around 4 pm that a delegation of MPs led by Gandhi wanted to meet the Commission and submit a memorandum.
Notably, “The Election Commission of India had laid down a procedure in 2025 for meetings with political parties. All political parties have been informed about this procedure and follow it. Whenever a delegation of a political party, or a joint delegation of several parties, wishes to meet the Commission, it seeks an appointment through its duly authorised representative. The meeting is then held at a time mutually agreed upon by both sides,” the statement read.
As per the latest buzz, According to the Commission, the Delhi Police's deputy commissioner subsequently informed it that the proposed meeting involved around 240 MPs and was to take place at the Parliament House Annexe. The ECI shared it considered the request “unusual” and declined it, citing its protocol that such meetings are held at the Commission's premises.
In further updates, “When the Election Commission was considering the proposal for the meeting with the MPs after 4 pm today, the DCP of Delhi Police informed it that the meeting being sought was with a group of 240 MPs and that the proposed venue was Parliament House Annexe. The Election Commission considered this request unusual and could not accept it because, as per protocol, such meetings are held only at the premises of the Election Commission of India,” the statement read.
On top of that, The Commission, however, shared it offered to send its most senior serving officer to the Parliament Annexe to receive the memorandum from the MPs. It described the proposal as an unprecedented step, but shared the MPs declined it.
“Any political party can request a meeting with the Election Commission at any time, and the Commission can, depending on the availability of time, decide the date and time of the meeting. This is a normal process,” the statement read.
Source: Hindustan Times