New Delhi, September 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Congress-led Opposition platform is set to meet in New Delhi on September 30 to discuss a common strategy and possible further action against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral impropriety, amid questions about the bloc’s cohesion and its parliamentary strength.
The meeting comes as Opposition leaders have acknowledged that the bloc does not have the numbers required to remove the CEC. However, the parties intend to demonstrate unity over what they describe as concerns about the integrity and transparency of the electoral process.
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee has reportedly acknowledged the Opposition’s numerical limitations in Parliament, saying that it was up to the “Cockroach Janata Party” (CJP) to pursue the objective. The remark was apparently a reference to CJP protests that were said to have led to the resignation of former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over reported examination malpractices.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary M.A. Baby has also reportedly written to the newly formed organisation, seeking its suggestions and participation in the Opposition’s proposed protests. The organisation’s possible involvement in future movements against the Election Commission, despite not being a political party, is expected to be among the issues discussed at Wednesday’s meeting, according to a CPI(M) functionary.
Baby has played an active role in reaching out to Opposition leaders to build consensus around the initiative. He wrote to several leaders, including Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, following which she reportedly became more actively engaged with the effort.
Attempts to bring together parties opposed to both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have so far failed to secure broad agreement, amid longstanding political differences and changing electoral support bases.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal, whom Baby met personally, is understood to have indicated that his party would prefer to stay away from the initiative. The AAP has parted ways with the INDIA bloc and is set to contest against the Congress in the forthcoming Punjab Assembly elections.
The M.K. Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is also expected to skip the meeting after announcing its withdrawal from the bloc following political differences with the Congress. The Congress’s shift in political alignment after actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as a major force in recent elections reportedly contributed to tensions with the DMK.
Despite their expected absence from the meeting, both the AAP and the DMK are said to be open to supporting a parliamentary motion if the Opposition decides to seek Gyanesh Kumar’s removal as CEC.
Differences among Opposition parties are also evident in several states. In Kerala, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front was voted out of power by the Congress-led United Democratic Front in the latest Assembly election.
In West Bengal, the Left parties and the Congress have maintained a cautious approach towards Mamata Banerjee, amid differences over her changing political positions and the decision to contest elections independently.
Regional political considerations have also led Opposition parties to pursue separate strategies during state elections. In Goa, the Congress, AAP and Trinamool Congress contested separately despite the state’s relatively small electoral size.
Meanwhile, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana and several other regional parties have maintained an equidistant position from both the BJP and the Congress.
The Opposition bloc also falls short of the two-thirds majority of members present and voting required to remove a Chief Election Commissioner. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is expected to ensure strong attendance among its parliamentary members if such a motion is moved.
The proposed meeting follows a Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution adopted a day earlier, demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and restoration of voters allegedly removed from electoral rolls.
Congress leaders have said they will place the issues discussed at the CWC meeting before the broader Opposition platform.
The meeting will take place against the backdrop of the bloc’s formation ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, its subsequent electoral setbacks in several states and continuing differences among its constituent parties. Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar, one of the original proponents of Opposition unity, is now aligned with the BJP.
The discussions on September 30 are expected to focus on the Opposition’s proposed response to the Election Commission, while also reflecting the differing political priorities and parliamentary positions of the parties involved.
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