Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday, 9 October said President Droupadi Murmu asked the opposition delegation to furnish evidence backing its allegations of 'vote chori' (vote theft), following a high-stakes meeting at Rashtrapati Bhavan centred on the controversy over Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

A delegation of INDIA bloc MPs submitted a memorandum to the President alleging electoral irregularities and what they described as a systematic attempt to undermine Indian democracy. The meeting came after several days of sustained protests by opposition leaders targeting the Election Commission and its ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Who Was in the Room

The delegation included Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, All India Trinamool Congress Chairperson Mamata Banerjee, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of the National Conference, NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule, CPI-M General Secretary M. A. Baby, RJD Rajya Sabha member Prof Manoj Kumar Jha, CPI General Secretary D. Raja, Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai, and VCK President and MP Dr Thirumaavalavan Tholkappiyan. It was one of the broadest multi-party gatherings under the INDIA bloc banner in recent months.

What the Opposition Alleged

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Gandhi said the delegation had directly named Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and CEC Gyanesh Kumar in its memorandum. 'We submitted a memorandum to the President of India, informing her that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar are conspiring to destroy Indian democracy,' Gandhi said.

Gandhi added that President Murmu asked the delegation to substantiate its claims. 'She asked us to provide evidence to substantiate what we have said. We will submit the evidence to her whenever she is available,' he said. He described the meeting as satisfactory, noting that the President had neither dismissed nor challenged the submissions.

Kharge and Mamata's Remarks

Congress President Kharge said President Murmu had listened to the delegation with patience. 'We apprised the President of the agitation we launched four days ago regarding the theft of votes,' he said. Kharge further underlined the delegation's demand that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) be set aside in favour of ballot papers, citing what he called 'the grave error committed by Gyanesh Kumar.'

Mamata Banerjee struck a cautiously positive note. 'We have seen from a positive outlook that she said she will investigate; she will go through the details, and she needs evidence,' she said, adding that the delegation had committed to sending the evidence as requested.

Next Steps: Supreme Court on Monday

Gandhi announced that the opposition plans to approach the Supreme Court on Monday with a separate memorandum addressed to the Chief Justice of India. The move signals an escalation from executive-level representations to judicial intervention, raising the stakes significantly in an already charged electoral debate. All eyes will now be on how quickly the opposition can assemble and present the evidence demanded by the President, and whether the Supreme Court agrees to hear the matter.