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The Election Commission said no political party had sought an appointment with it until 4 pm on Tuesday.
Security personnel stand guard outside the Election Commission of India (ECI) office, at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi. (IMAGE: PTI FILE)
Amid the Opposition’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the deletion of voters’ names, the Election Commission on Tuesday said it had not received any request from political parties for a meeting until 4 pm.
The poll body said at around 4 pm, it was informed that a delegation led by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi wanted to meet the Commission and submit a memorandum.
240-Member Delegation Sought Meeting After 4 PM: EC
“Earlier today, during the march of certain political parties towards the Election Commission, it was learnt through the media that some Members of Parliament wished to meet the Commission along with their delegation. With regard to today’s developments, it is clarified that, till 4.00 PM today, no political party, through its representatives, had sought an appointment for a meeting with the Election Commission,” the ECI said in a statement.
The ECI said it was subsequently told that the delegation comprised 240 MPs and wanted to meet at the Parliament House Annexe. The Commission described the request as “unusual”, saying its established protocol requires delegations seeking such meetings to visit the poll panel’s premises.
‘Unusual’: EC On Opposition Meeting Request
“After 4.00 PM today, when the Election Commission was considering the above proposal for the above-mentioned meeting with the Hon’ble MPs, it was informed by the DCP, Delhi Police, that the meeting being sought was to be held with a group of 240 MPs and that the proposed venue was the Parliament House Annexe. The Election Commission considered this request as unusual and therefore, could not be accepted, as, in accordance with ECI protocol, such meetings are held only on the premises of the Election Commission of India,” the statement read.
As an alternative, the ECI offered to send its senior-most officer to the Parliament House Annexe to receive the memorandum. The Commission said this was itself an unprecedented step, but the offer was declined by the MPs.
The development came as INDIA bloc MPs staged a protest against the SIR exercise and sought the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The Opposition has alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls.
The protest march was planned from Parliament House towards the Election Commission headquarters. However, police stopped the march in central Delhi and detained several MPs.
During the action, the Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made an unexpected detour into the nearby Akashvani Bhawan premises after police began moving protesters into buses. The siblings later sat in protest inside the premises, while other Congress leaders joined them.
What Rahul Gandhi Had Said
Earlier in the day, Gandhi demanded a meeting with the Election Commissioners, alleging that Opposition MPs have been “disrespected.” He alleged that the Election Commissioners had “disrespected” the voice of the people by not meeting MPs. He demanded that the poll panel meet opposition leaders and answer questions over the allegations of “vote theft”.
“…The MPs will meet the Election Commissioners; they will have to meet us…We all are very comfortable here…They have disrespected the voice of the nation by disrespecting the MPs; we just want to meet the Election Commissioners and ask questions and tell them that they have done vote theft…,” the Congress MP said.
The Congress leader had indicated he would continue the sit-in at Akashvani Bhawan before being detained along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Quick Answers
Ask News18The Election Commission stated that it received no meeting request from political parties until 4 pm, after which it was informed that a delegation led by Rahul Gandhi wanted to submit a memorandum. The ECI deemed the request unusual since the 240 MPs wanted to meet at the Parliament House Annexe instead of the poll panel’s premises.
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Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, with over 7 years of experience in journalism. She covers politics and a wide range of hard news, with a keen interest in national and international d…Read More
October 06, 2026, 9:22 pm IST
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