New Delhi, September 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday alleged large-scale irregularities in elections and accused authorities of changing laws to protect Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, as the INDIA bloc met in New Delhi to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and concerns over the Election Commission.
“Given the scale of rigging that has taken place throughout the elections, and as revealed by the two Election Commissioners who raised questions, this meeting is being held to address that. If you look at all the elections that have taken place, it has all been fraudulent,” Yadav said.
He further alleged that legal changes had been made to protect the Chief Election Commissioner, questioning changes to the process for appointing the head of the poll body and the period for preserving voting records.
“To protect the Election Commissioner, to protect Gyanesh Kumar, the laws were changed beforehand. First, the Chief Justice was excluded from the selection process. After that, the period for preserving voting records, which used to be one year, has been reduced to 45 days, simply to erase evidence,” he alleged.
The INDIA bloc meeting is being held at the Constitution Club in New Delhi, with opposition parties discussing the SIR exercise, the functioning of the Election Commission and concerns over the possible exclusion of voters.
CPI(M) General Secretary M.A. Baby earlier said the meeting would focus on Gyanesh Kumar’s continuation as Chief Election Commissioner and on building a wider campaign against him.
“As you could also guess, it is the continuation of Gyanesh Kumar, who has tampered with the process of working of the Election Commission. How he can be immediately removed from the position of the Chief Election Commissioner, and how the agitation under the banner of the INDIA Bloc can be taken forward, while independent agitations and activities would be permissible by various political groups,” Baby said.
Baby also highlighted the ongoing protests by Left parties and said the INDIA bloc meeting would discuss ways to coordinate various forms of agitation.
“For example, the five Left parties, our agitation is still continuing. Yesterday, we had an agitation in front of Nirvachan Sadan. Up to October 2, we have given a call for nationwide agitation. In this meeting, we will discuss how these various agitational movements can be harnessed towards achieving the goal,” he said.
Meanwhile, National Conference MLA Nazir Ahmad Gurezi said the SIR exercise and concerns surrounding the Election Commission were central to the opposition alliance’s discussions.
“The INDIA Bloc meeting is about the SIR. There is no doubt that a very serious allegation has been made, and it has not been made by an outsider…,” Gurezi said.
He emphasised that public confidence in the Election Commission was essential for democracy and cautioned against any loss of trust in the institution.
“If the Election Commission of this country is biased or does not function in the manner it should, people’s trust in it will be lost, and once that trust is lost, faith in democracy will also be lost,” he said.
The opposition leaders’ statements reflect their allegations and concerns about the Election Commission and the electoral process, which were among the key issues taken up at the INDIA bloc meeting.
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