Twenty-three Opposition parties have sent a joint memorandum to the Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, alleging “biased” conduct by the Election Commission, highlighting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) carried out in States such as West Bengal and Bihar, as well as the ongoing exercise in other States.
The DMK and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the two political parties that were not present at the INDIA bloc meeting, have also signed the letter. AAP is not a part of the bloc, while the DMK had informed its allies that it would not attend the meeting, rebuking the Congress for what it described as a post-election “betrayal” after the party switched sides to the TVK-led government in the State following the alliance’s defeat in the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls.
The decision to send a joint letter was taken during the INDIA bloc meeting held in Delhi on June 8. The meeting was convened at the insistence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee following the Trinamool Congress’s defeat in the West Bengal Assembly polls. She had urged INDIA bloc leaders to visit the State to project Opposition unity. However, the proposal did not find support. Instead, several leaders, especially Independent Rajya Sabha MP and senior Supreme Court lawyer Kapil Sibal, suggested that a joint memorandum be sent to the Chief Justice of India on alleged electoral irregularities.
Announcing the move, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X: “The Opposition parties are firmly anchored in SURE—Solidarity, Unity and Resistance.”
The INDIA bloc has not shared the contents of the letter. However, a senior leader said, “When all else fails, Indian democracy looks towards the judiciary. We have flagged the biased conduct of the Election Commission and the ways in which election results are manipulated.”
The Supreme Court of India has already heard a petition on the SIR. A two-judge Bench on May 27 unanimously upheld the SIR in Bihar, holding that the exercise was constitutionally valid, proportionate and within the EC’s powers under Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The judgment was delivered by Chief Justice Surya Kant on behalf of himself and Justice Joymalya Bagchi after hearings that ran for nearly seven months across 29 days.
Published – June 30, 2026 11:19 am IST
