INDIA Bloc Steps Up Joint Campaign on ECI, SIR Ahead of Key Assembly Polls

Opposition parties announce nationwide programmes, October 6 march and November 1 Delhi rally as voter-list revision becomes a major political flashpoint

New Delhi, September 30, 2026. The opposition INDIA bloc is preparing a coordinated political campaign around the Election Commission, Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the transparency of the electoral process, ahead of assembly elections in five states.

Representatives of 19 opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, RJD, DMK, Left parties and several regional organisations, met in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss a joint strategy on the issue.

The meeting comes as opposition parties seek to turn their individual objections over electoral-roll revision and the functioning of the Election Commission into a broader, coordinated campaign.

Joint action plan announced

Following the meeting, the INDIA bloc announced a series of programmes to take its campaign beyond Parliament and onto the streets.

According to the plan, opposition MPs will march towards the Election Commission on October 6.

The bloc has also announced ‘Save Democracy’ programmes at the district level from October 2 to 8, while a larger joint rally is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on November 1.

The proposed Delhi gathering is expected to bring together leaders and workers from the participating opposition parties and will serve as a major show of unity on issues related to electoral processes.

Opposition raises questions over SIR and voter rolls

The opposition has been particularly critical of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, raising concerns over the process of verification and revision of voter lists.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has called for greater transparency in the electoral process, while opposition parties have also renewed their demand for the use of ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines.

The parties have argued that electoral-roll revision requires greater transparency and safeguards to ensure that eligible voters are not excluded.

19 parties join the campaign

The meeting brought together representatives of 19 opposition parties, including the Indian National Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar), Shiv Sena (UBT), RJD, CPI(M), CPI, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, PDP, JMM, CPI(ML), IUML, Kerala Congress (M), MDMK, VCK, RSP, Kerala Congress (Joseph) and All India Forward Bloc.

The participating parties have sought to present the issue as a broader democratic and institutional concern rather than an issue limited to any single political party.

Why the timing matters

The INDIA bloc’s decision to launch a coordinated campaign assumes significance with several assembly elections approaching.

Opposition parties are seeking to keep electoral-roll revision, the Election Commission and voting-related transparency at the centre of political debate in the run-up to the elections.

The strategy could also provide the opposition with a common campaign platform at a time when its constituent parties are otherwise pursuing different political agendas in individual states.

Political challenge for BJP

For the BJP, the development presents a new political challenge as opposition parties attempt to consolidate around a single issue.

The ruling party and the Election Commission have rejected opposition allegations concerning the electoral process. The Election Commission has maintained that the SIR exercise is being undertaken within the applicable legal and constitutional framework.

The coming weeks could therefore see a sharper political contest over electoral-roll revision, the role of the Election Commission and the transparency of the voting process.

With the opposition preparing protests, public outreach programmes and a major Delhi rally, the issue is likely to remain a prominent part of the political discourse as the country moves closer to the next round of assembly elections.

(SDNA)