Rahul Gandhi's dinner meet brings together INDIA Bloc on electoral integrity

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) In a politically charged gathering at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s residence on Thursday evening, senior leaders from over 25 opposition parties convened for what was nominally a dinner - but functioned as a strategic huddle to confront what they allege is a deepening crisis in India’s electoral process.

The meeting, attended by nearly 50 leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, and Kamal Haasan, centred on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and explosive allegations of large-scale voter fraud presented by Gandhi.

Despite lacking a formal agenda, the evening revealed a sharpened opposition consensus: institutional compromise must be resisted through coordinated political action.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi called the meeting “positive,” noting its informal nature belied its strategic weight. In a detailed PowerPoint presentation, the Leader of the Opposition claimed that over one lakh votes were “stolen” in a single Karnataka assembly segment through five distinct methods, accusing the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP.

“This is not just an irregularity; it’s an atom bomb on our democracy,” Gandhi said, framing the issue as a systemic threat rather than a regional anomaly.

CPI’s D Raja warned that the SIR exercise could disenfranchise marginalised communities nationwide, while Farooq Abdullah raised concerns over banned books and the delayed restoration of J&K’s statehood - underscoring the meeting’s broader democratic anxieties.

The INDIA Bloc is poised to escalate its campaign against the Election Commission, with plans for a protest march to the EC headquarters in Delhi reportedly underway.

Recent parliamentary sessions have showcased rare opposition unity, and Thursday’s dinner meeting at Rahul Gandhi’s residence further consolidated that momentum.

At the heart of the bloc’s concern is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, which leaders warn could lead to widespread disenfranchisement - particularly among marginalised communities and minorities. CPI General Secretary D Raja called the meeting “very meaningful,” citing serious apprehensions over voter identity manipulation and the EC’s lack of transparency.

“What’s happening in Bihar can happen anywhere,” Raja cautioned, reinforcing Rahul Gandhi’s assertion that the issue carries national implications. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi described the gathering as “positive,” underscoring the opposition’s growing resolve to demand democratic accountability.

Whether this pressure triggers institutional response or parliamentary scrutiny remains uncertain - but the bloc is mobilising.

--IANS

sktr/dan