Now Reading: Kharge calls all elections illegal, demands ballot papers
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Kharge calls all elections illegal, demands ballot papers
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday, 3 October 2026, demanded the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, declaring that all elections held so far were illegal and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and all chief ministers were illegitimate. He called for fresh polls using ballot papers instead of EVMs, alleging misuse of electronic voting machines and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Kharge said the opposition would continue agitations across the country, with a major march to the Election Commission in New Delhi planned for 6 October 2026. He accused the Modi government of destroying democracy by bringing a law that grants immunity to the CEC and election commissioners from legal action. The INDIA bloc, at its meeting on 30 September 2026, had already demanded the return of ballot papers and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Hindu, Business Standard and Economic Times carry Kharge’s full statement labelling all elections illegal, including his demand for dissolution of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The Indian Express and The Hindu also report the INDIA bloc’s six demands and the planned march on 6 October. Deccan Chronicle adds that the TVK will attend the bloc’s Saturday meeting, where CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s removal is expected to be a key demand. All sources attribute the opposition’s grievances to the same trigger: the Indian Express report that two election commissioners objected 14 times to SIR decisions. None of the outlets carry a response from the government or the Election Commission. The next concrete step is the opposition MPs’ march to the EC on 6 October 2026.
Coverage: 6 sources, 6 neutral
Sources (6): news.google.com (neutral report), news.google.com (2) (neutral report), deccanchronicle.com (neutral report), economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report), business-standard.com (neutral report), thehindu.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 6 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
