Mamata Banerjee speaks to Congress top brass on EC row, INDIA meeting on Sept 30

Top INDIA bloc leaders will meet in Delhi on September 30 to discuss the issue concerning Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The gathering follows consultations involving Mamata Banerjee, the Congress leadership and MA Baby with other bloc parties.

In Short

• TMC and CPI(M) unite over Election Commission and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issues
• Opposition plans joint press conference and fresh removal notice against CEC Kumar
• BJP's Dilip Ghosh mocked Mamata's call for opposition meeting in Delhi

Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spoke to the top leadership of the Congress over issues concerning Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, sources said, as consultations among INDIA bloc parties continue to build momentum for a meeting on September 30.

Top sources told India Today that the INDIA bloc is set to hold a meeting in New Delhi on September 30 at the Constitution Club of India (CCI). All top leaders of the opposition bloc are expected to attend the meeting. However, the names of the INDIA bloc leaders who will attend have not yet been confirmed.

Opposition INDIA bloc parties are likely to discuss concerns over the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, besides other issues, sources said.

The proposed meeting comes amid increased coordination among opposition parties over the Election Commission following reports of differences within the poll panel over aspects of the SIR exercise. The parties have been in touch with each other on the issue and are discussing a joint response, sources added.

Consultations had been underway among INDIA bloc parties to hold an early meeting, and the plan has now materialised. The meeting will focus on the issues concerning CEC Gyanesh Kumar, including the opposition's concerns over the SIR exercise.

ABHISHEK BANERJEE SPEAKS TO RAHUL GANDHI

Trinamool Congress's top leadership, including Abhishek Banerjee, has also spoken to Congress Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over Gyanesh Kumar. Abhishek Banerjee and Rahul Gandhi held a telephonic conversation earlier this week regarding Gyanesh Kumar and alleged electoral irregularities.

Meanwhile, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary MA Baby has been speaking to other INDIA bloc parties as part of the consultations. Baby had written to INDIA bloc and other opposition leaders seeking a meeting over the developments and subsequently spoke to Mamata Banerjee, who agreed that the situation warranted coordinated action.

TMC, CPI(M) COME TOGETHER OVER EC ISSUE

The developments have also brought West Bengal's political rivals, the TMC and CPI(M), together on the Election Commission issue. The Left parties have sought broader opposition coordination over the SIR exercise, while Mamata Banerjee has responded positively to the outreach.

The CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML)-Liberation have demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an immediate halt to the SIR, while the Congress has also stepped up its attack on Kumar. The Congress Working Committee is scheduled to meet on September 29 to discuss its strategy on the issue.

JOINT PRESSER PLANNED AFTER INDIA BLOC MEETING

The September 30 meeting is being planned specifically around the issues concerning CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission. Sources said a joint press conference by opposition leaders is also being planned after the INDIA bloc meeting.

The proposed joint press conference is aimed at taking up the issue concerning Gyanesh Kumar and the opposition's concerns over the Election Commission. Sources said efforts are being made to raise the issues of Gyanesh Kumar's ouster and criminal proceedings "in a big way".

Opposition parties are also working on a fresh removal notice against CEC Kumar, which is likely to be submitted in both Houses of Parliament after being vetted by legal experts. It would be the third such attempt by the opposition.

EC DISSENT ROW TRIGGER LATEST MOBILISATION

The latest mobilisation follows an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on several occasions over decisions and orders concerning the SIR. According to the report, the two Election Commissioners had formally objected at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions related to the exercise.

The Election Commission has said that differing views and observations are a normal part of institutional deliberations and asserted that its orders have full legal sanction and follow statutory procedures.

Earlier, 23 political parties and an Independent MP jointly approached the Chief Justice of India over the SIR process and other election-related issues, underlining the broader opposition coordination on the issue.

Reacting to Mamata Banerjee's telephonic conversations with CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby to seek an INDIA bloc meeting next week, BJP leader Dilip Ghosh mocked Mamata Banerjee's outreach.

"She needs to go to Delhi now because there is nothing left for her here. She didn't go when they were inviting her earlier. Now that she is the one calling for a meeting, let's see what happens," Ghosh said.

The INDIA bloc parties have been holding consultations to finalise the meeting and coordinate their response on the Election Commission and SIR. The plan is to hold the opposition meeting in Delhi on September 30, followed by a joint press conference by opposition leaders.

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