Leaders of the INDIA bloc met at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on Wednesday to frame a joint response to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the functioning of the poll panel.

The meeting followed a Congress Working Committee resolution on Tuesday demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the suspension of the SIR exercise and the restoration of voters allegedly deleted from rolls.

CPI MP P Sandosh told reporters the bloc would chalk out a further action programme, alleging that the opposition’s concerns about the electoral process had “come true”. Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain said the CWC’s proposals would be placed before the alliance. JMM leader Manoj Pandey said his party would implement the bloc’s decisions unanimously.

The Aam Aadmi Party and the DMK stayed away from the meeting. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav was also absent, at a farmers’ programme in Lucknow; the party sent MPs Harendra Malik and Maulana Mohibbullah Nadvi instead. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray joined virtually.

The Election Commission says its decisions are taken within the statutory framework. Opposition leaders have acknowledged they lack the parliamentary numbers to remove the CEC.