President Droupadi Murmu met a 10-member INDIA bloc delegation at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday evening over the opposition's "vote chori" allegations. (Photo: Odisha Assembly, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons)
President Murmu Seeks Proof of Vote Theft Allegations After INDIA Bloc Meeting
The INDIA bloc's four-day agitation against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar reached the highest constitutional office in the country on Friday, and it ended with an outcome neither side quite expected. A 10-member opposition delegation met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the evening and handed over a memorandum demanding Kumar's removal over alleged "vote chori" (vote theft) — and then came out saying she had not denied a word of it.
According to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, the President accepted the bloc's statement and asked them to back it with proof. Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress president, said she listened carefully and promised to "look into the matter thoroughly, speak to those concerned and decide on the appropriate next steps." The opposition left satisfied — and announced its next move: a meeting with the Chief Justice of India on Monday.
The meeting followed hours of street theatre. Earlier, around 150 MPs and leaders of the bloc gathered in the Central Hall of Parliament (Samvidhan Sadan), where 16 leaders from 16 parties signed the memorandum. They then marched from Parliament House toward Rashtrapati Bhavan behind a big "Save Democracy" banner. Police stopped the marchers at Vijay Chowk behind barricades, where the others held a sit-in with "Gyanesh, it's done bro!" placards, while the 10 leaders whose names had been sent to Rashtrapati Bhavan proceeded to the meeting.
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Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said he was "shocked and stunned" that the President "did not deny" the bloc's allegations. (Photo: Prime Minister's Office, Government of India, GODL-India via Wikimedia Commons)
What the Delegation Demanded in Its Four-Point Memorandum
The delegation's memorandum, signed by the leaders and delivered to the President, made four demands, according to NDTV and The Economic Times, both carrying PTI/ANI reporting:
- Resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the repeal of the 2023 law that provides life-long immunity to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners.
- Immediate suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the immediate restoration of all 13.3 crore voters the bloc says were illegally deleted.
- A return to paper ballots for all elections, abandoning electronic voting machines.
- A review of Assembly elections held over the last two years "in which conclusive evidence of vote chori has been presented," in NDTV's rendering of the memorandum.
The memorandum said the bloc had approached the President because, as India's final constitutional guardian, her office was the last resort when other avenues had been exhausted. The delegation itself was a show of opposition unity: Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, NCP(SP)'s Supriya Sule, SP's Rajeev Rai, RJD's Manoj Jha, VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan, CPI(M) general secretary M. A. Baby and CPI's D. Raja.
'Shocked and Stunned': Rahul Gandhi's Account of the Meeting
Speaking to reporters afterward, Rahul Gandhi made the evening's most dramatic claims about what happened inside Rashtrapati Bhavan. He said the memorandum told the President that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and CEC Kumar had conspired to destroy Indian democracy — and that, in his telling, she rejected none of it: she neither denied, questioned nor argued with what the leaders said.
She had, he said, accepted the opposition’s statement and asked for proof of the alleged vote theft. Gandhi added that he had walked in expecting the opposite — a defense of India’s electoral system — and said he was “shocked and stunned” by what he described.
He told her the proof was already in the public domain. The whole country knew, he said, that state after state had been stolen, and that the 2024 election had been stolen. He promised the bloc would gladly bring all the evidence it has collected whenever she was ready to receive it.
There is an important caveat here: no official word has come from the President's office about the discussions. The account of what was said inside rests entirely on what the opposition leaders reported to the media outside.
Kharge: 'She Will Investigate the Matter Thoroughly'
Kharge's version was more measured but landed the same way. He said the delegation told the President about the agitation launched four days ago over alleged vote theft and about what he called the serious mistakes made by Kumar — votes, he alleged, were being stolen from Kumar’s own office. The leaders demanded a return to ballot papers, he said, and the President asked for evidence of vote theft, which the bloc would provide.
Kharge said the President had listened carefully and promised to look into the matter thoroughly, speak to those concerned and decide on the appropriate next steps; the delegation had left satisfied, he said, feeling she had heard the people’s voice.
Mamata Banerjee struck a unity note, saying the bloc was together and strong and represented over 60 percent of the people. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, meanwhile, aimed at the day's security measures — including the Delhi Police request to shut entry and exit at 57 metro stations — calling it a sign of fear.
The Bloc's Next Move: A Monday Memorandum to the Chief Justice
The agitation is not winding down. Gandhi announced that the INDIA bloc will approach the Supreme Court on Monday to meet Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and hand over a memorandum to him as well. The opposition wants the judiciary in the loop after taking its case to the presidency.
The stakes are visible in the government's own posture. Delhi Police had asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to close entry and exit gates at 57 metro stations from 9 pm on October 9; on Friday evening the Home Ministry separately approved a 24-hour suspension of mobile internet within a 4-km radius of the Janpath–Kartavya Path crossing (10 pm Friday to 10 pm Saturday). Both measures are tied to the Cockroach Janta Party's planned protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, October 10 — a different protest, but one the authorities are treating as part of the same high-alert weekend.
Rahul Gandhi said the INDIA bloc will meet Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday and hand over a memorandum. (Photo: Subhashish Panigrahi, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons)
BJP Hits Back, Cites Bypoll Wins
The ruling party was not impressed. BJP president J. P. Nadda repeated the party's standing line that the Congress-led bloc was hunting for excuses after defeats. He pointed to the bypoll results declared earlier in the day — the BJP-NDA won the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat and the Nandigram, Rejinagar and Thattanchavady assembly seats — as proof of public trust. In the Nandigram assembly bypoll, the BJP's Hasirani Rath defeated the Congress candidate by 1,22,753 votes, according to the Election Commission.
Nadda wrote that repeated defeats had eroded the alliance's public trust, arguing that questioning institutions instead of introspecting exposed political desperation. Back at the Samvidhan Sadan, Gandhi had gone much further than Kumar: the CEC, he told MPs, was merely a service provider who refused to meet elected representatives, and the problem ran much deeper than one official — requiring, in his words, the end of the current government.
Why It Matters
A presidential meeting does not settle the facts — it moves the fight. Until Friday, the INDIA bloc's campaign was a street protest aimed at the Election Commission; now it sits in the President's office and, from Monday, on the Chief Justice's desk. Whatever one makes of the "vote chori" claims — they are allegations, not findings — the optics of the opposition claiming the President "accepted" their case will fuel both sides' narratives through the SIR process and whatever follows.
For ordinary readers, the practical angle is the ballots question. The bloc wants paper ballots back and the SIR suspended, which, if it ever happened, would change how India votes. The President's office has said nothing, so the only on-record commitments are the opposition's own: compile the evidence, submit it, and show up at the Supreme Court on Monday.
What Happens Next
Monday's planned memorandum to Chief Justice Surya Kant is the immediate next step. Then comes the bloc's promise to compile and submit its "vote chori" evidence to the President. Meanwhile, Saturday's Jantar Mantar protest — with Delhi under lockdown-style restrictions, closed liquor shops, a 24-hour internet suspension zone and thousands of police deployed — is the more immediate flashpoint (see our coverage of the lockdown measures). Whether the President's office breaks its silence will determine how this week of high politics lands. For the march and memorandum that led to this meeting, see our earlier report.
Key Takeaways
- A 10-member INDIA bloc delegation met President Droupadi Murmu on Friday evening and submitted a four-point memorandum against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
- Rahul Gandhi said he was "shocked and stunned" that the President "did not deny" the bloc's "vote chori" claims and asked for proof instead.
- Kharge said the President promised to "look into the matter thoroughly, speak to those concerned and decide on the appropriate next steps."
- The memorandum demanded Kumar's resignation, SIR suspension, restoration of 13.3 crore voters and a return to paper ballots.
- The bloc will meet Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday with another memorandum; the President's office has issued no statement.
- The BJP dismissed the agitation as sore-loser politics, citing NDA wins in the Nagaon Lok Sabha and three assembly bypolls on Friday.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the INDIA bloc demand from President Murmu?
The 10-member delegation demanded CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation and repeal of the 2023 law giving EC officials life-long immunity; suspension of the Special Intensive Revision and restoration of 13.3 crore allegedly deleted voters; a return to paper ballots; and a review of Assembly elections in the last two years where the bloc claims vote theft.
What did President Murmu reportedly say to the delegation?
According to Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, the President did not deny the opposition's claims, accepted their statement and asked for proof of "vote chori." Kharge added she promised to examine the matter, consult those concerned and decide next steps. The President's office has issued no statement.
Who was in the 10-member delegation?
The delegation comprised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, NCP(SP)'s Supriya Sule, SP's Rajeev Rai, RJD's Manoj Jha, VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan, CPI(M) general secretary M. A. Baby and CPI's D. Raja.
What did Rahul Gandhi say after the meeting?
Gandhi said he was "shocked and stunned" that the President did not deny the bloc's claims. She asked for proof of the alleged vote theft, he said, and the opposition would gladly submit all its collected evidence. He also announced the bloc will meet the Chief Justice of India on Monday.
How did the BJP respond?
BJP president J. P. Nadda called the bloc sore losers and cited Friday's bypoll results — NDA wins in the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat and the Nandigram, Rejinagar and Thattanchavady assembly seats — as evidence of public trust. In Nandigram, the BJP's Hasirani Rath won by 1,22,753 votes, per the Election Commission.
What happens next in the INDIA bloc protest?
The bloc plans to meet Chief Justice Surya Kant on Monday with a memorandum, and to compile and submit its vote-theft evidence to the President. The immediate event is Saturday's Jantar Mantar protest by the Cockroach Janta Party, for which Delhi has ordered liquor-shop closures, a 24-hour internet suspension zone and thousands of police.
Sources
- NDTV — Rahul Gandhi's post-meeting account, the four-point memorandum, the Kartavya Path sit-in and BJP's response.
- The Economic Times — full post-meeting briefing: Gandhi's "shocked and stunned" remarks, Kharge's account, Mamata Banerjee's comment and the Monday CJI plan (ANI/PTI reporting).
- India TV — the four demands and Gandhi's post-meeting statement.