Rahul Gandhi has invited INDIA bloc leaders, opposition MPs and civil society members for a tea meeting amid the ‘vote chori’ rowThe meeting comes a day after opposition leaders marched to the Supreme Court and filed a petition over alleged electoral irregularities, while demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
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Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has invited INDIA bloc leaders, opposition MPs, student organisations and members of civil society to his residence in New Delhi for a tea meeting on TuesdayThe meeting is expected to focus on the opposition’s next steps in its campaign against alleged electoral irregularities and its demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
In a post on X, Gandhi said the opposition parties and civil society groups were united in their efforts to protect democracyHe described the campaign as a people’s movement and said it would continue.
Gandhi also said that the participants would address the media after the tea meeting to present their views on the issue.
आज मैंने INDIA गठबंधन के नेताओं, विपक्षी सांसदों, छात्र संगठनों और सिविल सोसाइटी के साथियों को अपने घर चाय पर बुलाया है।
लोकतंत्र की रक्षा के इस जनांदोलन में हम सब एक साथ हैं – और ये आंदोलन लगातार जारी रहेगा।
चाय के बाद हम सभी मिलकर मीडिया के सामने अपनी बात रखेंगे।
All protests are one.
#Unity— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 13, 2026
According to reports, the meeting at Gandhi’s residence at 5, Sunehri Bagh Road is expected to include discussions on a joint strategy for further protests over the opposition’s ‘vote chori’, or vote theft, allegationsThe opposition has also been seeking the CEC’s resignation over alleged irregularities linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Opposition moves Supreme Court over electoral roll revision
The meeting comes a day after opposition leaders, activists and civil society members took part in a ‘March for Democracy’ in central Delhi on MondayThe march was organised to protest against the SIR exercise and alleged irregularities in the electoral process.
Several prominent INDIA bloc leaders joined the demonstration, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, CPI leader D Raja, CPI(M) leader M A Baby, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule.
The protesters gathered in the Connaught Place area and marched towards the Supreme CourtThey crossed one police barricade on Bhagwan Dass Road but were stopped at a second barricade.
Following the march, senior opposition leaders approached the Supreme Court with a joint petition challenging the SIR process and raising concerns over alleged electoral irregularities.
The petition names the Election Commission of India, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi as parties to the case.
Opposition demands CEC’s resignation
The opposition has been demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, arguing that the alleged irregularities in the voter-list revision process require scrutinyThe Election Commission’s role and the process of updating electoral rolls have become major points of political dispute.
The latest developments followed the Chief Justice of India declining a request for a meeting with the Leaders of the Opposition on the matter, saying the issue was sub judice, or under consideration by the court.
The INDIA bloc’s tea meeting is expected to help opposition parties coordinate their next steps after the march and the filing of the petitionThe leaders are also expected to outline their position before the media.
The allegations of electoral irregularities remain contested, and the legal proceedings will determine how the issues raised in the petition are addressed.
(With PTI inputs)
