INDIA bloc leaders accuse ECI of shielding electoral fraud; Delhi Police deny march permission
By: Javid Amin | Srinagar | 10 Aug 2025
More than 300 Members of Parliament representing 25 opposition parties—including Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress (TMC), DMK, AAP, Left parties, RJD, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), Shiv Sena (UBT), and National Conference—are expected to march today from Parliament’s Makar Dwar to the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters.
The protest, scheduled for 11:30 AM, aims to spotlight allegations of large-scale “vote chori” (vote theft) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and to oppose the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently underway in Bihar.
Delhi Police Deny Permission
Delhi Police have confirmed that no official request for permission to conduct the march was received. As a result, the protest has not been authorized.
However, opposition leaders have signaled they will proceed regardless, setting the stage for a possible standoff with law enforcement.
Protest Highlights
-
Multilingual Campaign: Posters in English, Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, and Marathi will be carried to symbolically represent India’s linguistic diversity.
-
AAP’s Surprise Participation: Despite leaving the INDIA bloc earlier this year, AAP is expected to join the demonstration after TMC outreach.
-
Congress Digital Push: The party has launched a web portal to mobilize public support, demanding that the ECI release digital voter rolls for scrutiny.
-
Rahul Gandhi’s Charge: The Congress leader has labeled alleged vote theft as “an attack on democracy”, citing purported manipulation of over 100,000 votes in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura constituency—an allegation the ECI has rejected.
Election Commission’s Response
The ECI has invited Congress MP Jairam Ramesh and a delegation of up to 30 representatives to meet officials at 12 PM today. The Commission cited space and logistical constraints as the reason for limiting the delegation size.
The Larger Battle for Electoral Integrity
Opposition parties accuse the ECI of acting in a partisan manner, alleging that both the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the Bihar electoral roll revisions are being manipulated to favor the ruling party.
The INDIA bloc has argued that withholding digital voter rolls undermines transparency, while the ECI insists that its processes are in line with established norms and judicial oversight.
Potential Political Fallout
Political analysts suggest that today’s march could either:
-
Galvanize opposition unity by portraying the protest as a fight for democratic rights, or
-
Expose internal cracks if parties like AAP adopt a more symbolic than confrontational role.
If police block the march, the optics of force being used against elected representatives could amplify the opposition’s narrative of a shrinking democratic space in India.
Conclusion
Today’s protest underscores a deepening trust deficit between the Election Commission and major opposition parties. Whether it leads to greater transparency—or entrenched political polarization—will depend on both the ECI’s engagement and the opposition’s ability to sustain public momentum beyond the day’s symbolic march.
