Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge mounted a fierce offensive against the existing electoral machinery on October 3, demanding the immediate dissolution of both the Lok Sabha and all state legislative assemblies on grounds that the elections conducted under the current framework were illegitimate. Speaking to journalists in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, Kharge claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Chief Ministers across the country hold office through invalid electoral mandates. He argued that the only way to safeguard democratic institutions is to scrap electronic voting machines and return to paper ballots for all future democratic exercises.
Questions Over Electoral Mandates and the Call for Paper Ballots
Addressing the press conference in Kalaburagi, Mallikarjun Kharge asserted that the governance of the entire nation is currently resting on a foundation of flawed and illegal elections. He remarked that the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, alongside elected Chief Ministers across states, cannot claim constitutional validity under a compromised voting setup. Kharge stressed that both houses of Parliament and every provincial legislature must be dissolved without delay to pave the way for freshly organised polls conducted solely through paper ballots. He maintained that restoring the electorate's faith in the authenticity of every single vote is an urgent necessity.
The Congress chief raised serious concerns regarding electronic voting machines, claiming that suspicions surrounding the misuse of EVMs are no longer restricted to the opposition and are now being voiced by individuals aligned with the ruling establishment itself. Kharge maintained that technological vulnerabilities and black-box procedures have eroded public trust in election outcomes. He insisted that verified, physical paper ballots represent the only tangible method to guarantee total transparency in democratic contests.
Grave Anomalies in the Special Intensive Revision Exercise
Kharge focused a substantial part of his critique on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision, known as SIR, of electoral rolls across the country, claiming that the process is riddled with severe discrepancies designed to weaken democratic representation. He referenced a high-level conclave of the INDIA bloc held on September 30, which brought together senior leaders and legal cell representatives from 20 political parties. According to Kharge, the unanimous verdict from that cross-party consultation was that the ongoing SIR drive is steering the nation along a damaging trajectory.
He underscored that the revision exercise is disproportionately penalising marginalised communities, including the poor, daily-wage laborers, uneducated citizens, and particularly religious minorities. Kharge posed a blunt question about electoral fairness, asking how any election can be considered free and fair when as many as 500 voters are arbitrarily purged from a single polling booth. He added that alongside deletions of genuine voters, parallel efforts are underway to introduce selective additions to manipulate voting demographics.
Ground Mobilisation for Voter Deletions in Wards and Villages
Directly targeting the ruling party and its ideological affiliates, Kharge accused members belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of carrying out systematic campaigns in specific wards, gram panchayats, and rural settlements. He stated that these workers are actively visiting areas with the express purpose of identifying opposition-leaning voters and submitting formal application forms to have their names struck off the electoral rolls. Kharge condemned this coordinated drive as completely unethical and unacceptable.
Placing the issue in historical context, Kharge noted that former Prime Ministers, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and PV Narasimha Rao, never resorted to manipulating voting lists or administrative apparatus to subvert democratic checks. He pointed out that past administrations upheld institutional integrity, whereas the current dispensation has allowed structural meddling to override constitutional propriety.
Disproportionate Toll on the Poor and Working Classes
Highlighting the socioeconomic consequences of flawed voter lists, Kharge observed that administrative exploitation inflicts the heaviest damage on the youth, Dalits, underprivileged groups, and lower-income families. He remarked that an affluent individual possesses the financial resources and influence to easily rectify administrative errors and secure documentation. In stark contrast, an underprivileged worker who discovers their name missing or incorrect must sacrifice daily wages and livelihood just to wait in queues at administrative offices to seek corrections. Kharge stressed that forcing the poor to choose between earning a day's meal and defending their constitutional right to vote is an unconscionable burden.
The 2023 Election Commissioners Act and Legal Immunity Shield
Accusing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of dismantling democratic safeguards, Kharge drew attention to legislative amendments governing the top electoral body. He specifically highlighted Section 16 of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023. This provision grants complete legal immunity to the Chief Election Commissioner and fellow Election Commissioners, shielding them from prosecution for decisions executed during their tenure. Kharge argued that under this statutory protection, even if electoral officials commit blatant violations or mistakes, they cannot be subjected to investigation anywhere in the country.
Furthermore, Kharge condemned the structural alteration of the high-powered selection panel responsible for appointing election commissioners. Under the earlier mechanism established by judicial guidelines, the panel comprised the Chief Justice of India, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Prime Minister. However, through the 2023 statute, the central government removed the Chief Justice of India and substituted that seat with a Union Cabinet minister. Kharge contended that this deliberate exclusion was executed to ensure that an independent and impartial Chief Justice could not veto ruling party candidates or prevent executive interference in appointing the Chief Election Commissioner.
Opposition March to the Election Commission and Public Awareness
Outlining the immediate tactical response of the united opposition, Kharge announced that political resistance against the misuse of the SIR drive and electoral machinery will intensify nationwide. He confirmed that on October 6, Members of Parliament from all opposition parties will stage a protest march through New Delhi, proceeding from Parliament directly to the headquarters of the Election Commission of India to submit their collective grievances.
Concluding his remarks, Kharge reiterated that the core mission of democratic leadership is to awaken the citizenry to the creeping erosion of their rights. He warned that if voters remain passive and continue chanting partisan slogans in favour of the Prime Minister despite clear evidence of institutional capture, they are effectively choosing authoritarianism over a functioning democracy. He affirmed that the opposition will persist in mobilizing public sentiment until transparent, paper-based balloting is reinstituted.
