IndiaPosted at: Oct 5 2026 12:09PM


Kharge says Congress will not compromise on three demands over SIR

New Delhi, Oct 5 (UNI) Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday reiterated the party’s three “non-negotiable” demands amid intensifying Opposition protests against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, scrapping of the SIR exercise and a return to ballot paper voting.
In a post on social media platform X, Kharge said the Congress would not compromise on the three issues and asserted that party workers and INDIA bloc partners were taking the demands to the streets across the country.
“Congress party’s three demands are non-negotiable,” Kharge said, listing them as: “First, Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. Second, cancellation of SIR. Third, elections through ballot papers.”
Kharge said Congress workers and INDIA bloc partners were mobilising nationwide over the issues and extended support to civil society groups and youth organisations participating in protests.
“Congress workers across the country and our INDIA alliance partners are on the streets over these three issues,” he said. “We stand with all civil society members and youth organisations that are fighting on these issues at various places across the country.”
The Congress president’s remarks came amid an escalating political confrontation between the Opposition and the Election Commission over the SIR exercise and the integrity of electoral rolls.
Opposition parties have alleged that the revision process could result in the exclusion of eligible voters, while the Election Commission has maintained that the exercise is aimed at identifying and removing ineligible, duplicate and deceased voters and ensuring the accuracy of electoral rolls.
The INDIA bloc has already announced a coordinated “Save Democracy March” campaign from October 2 to 8, with Opposition MPs scheduled to march to the Election Commission on October 6.
The alliance has demanded Kumar’s resignation and a return to ballot paper voting, besides seeking greater transparency and safeguards for voters affected by electoral-roll revisions.
Kharge also condemned what he described as the BJP’s alleged harassment of women journalists in Delhi, calling the incident “highly condemnable”.
“On the other hand, the BJP harassed women journalists in Delhi. This is highly condemnable,” he said.
In a sharply worded political warning, Kharge alleged that the ruling establishment was seeking to divert public attention from the controversy surrounding the electoral process.
“The dictator is very nervous. Be prepared for another chapter of distraction,” he said.
The Congress has intensified its campaign against Kumar in recent weeks, with Kharge and other Opposition leaders repeatedly questioning the Election Commission’s handling of electoral-roll revisions and demanding greater transparency. The controversy has also reached the courts, with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear pleas relating to Kumar and the SIR exercise on Monday.
The Opposition campaign has increasingly brought political parties together with civil society and youth organisations around demands for protection of voting rights, restoration of allegedly excluded names and greater transparency in the electoral process.
Protests were held in Delhi and Mumbai over the weekend, with demonstrators demanding the CEC’s resignation, scrapping of SIR and a return to ballot paper elections.
Kharge’s latest intervention makes clear that the Congress intends to keep the three demands at the centre of its political campaign, even as the Election Commission defends the electoral-roll revision exercise and the BJP rejects the Opposition’s allegations.
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