Opposition unity meet on Sept 30: Numbers, cohesion in doubt over CEC row
Synopsis
The Congress-led Opposition bloc meets on 30 September over CEC Gyanesh Kumar — but its own leaders admit they cannot remove him, the DMK and AAP are staying away, and the bloc remains fractured across states. The meeting risks being more symbolic than strategic, spotlighting how far Opposition unity has eroded since its 2024 formation.
Key Takeaways
The Congress -led Opposition platform meets in New Delhi on 30 September 2026 to strategise over CEC Gyanesh Kumar and alleged poll impropriety.
The bloc is far short of the two-thirds parliamentary majority needed to remove the CEC; Opposition leaders have acknowledged this limitation.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal is expected to stay away, citing the party's exit from the INDIA bloc and its Punjab contest against the Congress.
The DMK is also set to skip the meeting after withdrawing from the bloc over differences with the Congress.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on 29 September demanded Kumar's resignation, suspension of the SIR exercise, and restoration of deleted voters.
CPI(M) General Secretary M.A.
Baby has been central to outreach efforts, including writing to the CJP and to Mamata Banerjee to build support.
The Congress-led Opposition platform is set to convene in New Delhi on 30 September 2026 to finalise a common strategy and deliberate on further action against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged poll impropriety — even as the bloc's own leaders acknowledge they lack the parliamentary numbers to remove him and serious questions linger over its cohesion.
The Numbers Problem
Opposition leaders have privately conceded that the bloc falls well short of the two-thirds majority of members present and voting required under the Constitution to remove a Chief Election Commissioner. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is also expected to ensure maximum treasury-bench attendance if any such motion is moved, making the arithmetic even more daunting. As Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee reportedly acknowledged, removing the CEC is not realistically within the Opposition's current reach in Parliament.
Who Is — and Isn't — at the Table
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal, who was personally approached by Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary M.A. Baby, is understood to have signalled that his party would prefer to stay away — citing his party's departure from the INDIA bloc and its forthcoming contest against the Congress in Punjab Assembly elections. The M.K. Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is also expected to skip the meeting after announcing its withdrawal from the bloc, following political differences with the Congress that reportedly widened after actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as a major force in recent elections. Despite their absence at the meeting, both the AAP and the DMK are said to be open to supporting a parliamentary motion if the Opposition formally moves to seek Kumar's removal as CEC.
The Role of Baby and the CJP
CPI(M) General Secretary M.A. Baby has been one of the more active architects of this round of Opposition outreach. He wrote to several leaders, including Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, reportedly prompting her to engage more actively with the initiative. Baby also wrote to the newly formed organisation — referred to in political circles as the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) — seeking its suggestions and possible participation in proposed protests against the Election Commission. According to a CPI(M) functionary, the CJP's involvement in future movements, despite its status as a non-political body, is expected to be among the issues discussed on Wednesday. Banerjee's eventual engagement is notable given that West Bengal's Left parties and the Congress still view her with caution owing to her history of shifting political positioning.
Congress's Pre-Meet Push
The meeting comes a day after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) adopted a resolution demanding Kumar's resignation, suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, and restoration of voters allegedly removed from electoral rolls. Congress leaders have indicated they will table these demands before the wider Opposition platform on Wednesday.
A Fractured Bloc: The Broader Picture
The fault lines extend well beyond the CEC dispute. In Kerala, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) was voted out by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the most recent Assembly election — deepening mutual wariness. In West Bengal, Left parties and the Congress remain guarded about Mamata Banerjee's long-term alignment. Regional compulsions have repeatedly pushed parties onto separate electoral tracks: in Goa, the Congress, AAP, and Trinamool Congress all contested independently despite the state's small electoral size. Meanwhile, Odisha's Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana, and other regional outfits have maintained equidistance from both the BJP and the Congress. Notably, Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar — once a founding voice for Opposition unity — remains firmly in the NDA camp. Wednesday's meeting is another difficult test for a bloc that failed to unseat the NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and has since suffered setbacks across multiple states.
Point of View
AAP's studied distance, and the Left's internal contradictions — competing with both Congress and Trinamool in their home states — make the bloc's declared solidarity on the CEC issue hard to take at face value. The numerical reality is unambiguous: the Opposition cannot remove Gyanesh Kumar without NDA defectors, and none appear forthcoming. What remains is a platform exercise, and the question worth asking is whether repeated platform exercises without legislative consequence accelerate or merely mask the bloc's fragmentation ahead of the next electoral cycle.
NationPress
30 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Opposition meeting on 30 September 2026 about?
The Congress-led Opposition platform is meeting in New Delhi on 30 September to formulate a common strategy and discuss further action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged poll impropriety. The Congress Working Committee had the previous day passed a resolution demanding Kumar's resignation and suspension of the Special Intensive Revision exercise.
Can the Opposition actually remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar?
No — Opposition leaders themselves have acknowledged the bloc does not have the two-thirds majority of members present and voting required under the Constitution to remove a Chief Election Commissioner. The BJP-led NDA is expected to ensure full treasury-bench attendance if any such motion is moved, making removal arithmetically very difficult.
Which parties are skipping the 30 September Opposition meeting?
The AAP is expected to stay away, with Arvind Kejriwal understood to have signalled that his party prefers to remain outside the initiative after leaving the INDIA bloc and ahead of Punjab Assembly elections against the Congress. The DMK is also set to skip after withdrawing from the bloc following political differences with the Congress.
What role has CPI(M)'s M.A. Baby played in this round of Opposition outreach?
M.A. Baby has been one of the key architects of the current effort, personally meeting Arvind Kejriwal and writing to several leaders including Mamata Banerjee, whose subsequent engagement with the initiative is said to have been prompted by his letter. Baby also wrote to the newly formed CJP organisation seeking its suggestions and possible involvement in protests against the Election Commission.
What are the broader fault lines within the Opposition bloc?
The fractures are significant and long-running: in Kerala, the CPI(M)-led LDF was defeated by the Congress-led UDF; in West Bengal, Left parties and Congress view Mamata Banerjee with caution; in Goa, the Congress, AAP, and Trinamool all contested separately; and parties like the BJD and BRS have maintained equidistance from both the BJP and Congress. Nitish Kumar, once a voice for Opposition unity, is now firmly aligned with the NDA.
