India’s Election Commission declined to meet an opposition delegation at the Parliament House Annexe, saying its procedure requires such meetings to take place on Commission premises.
On Tuesday, October 6, the INDIA opposition bloc, led by Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, staged a sit-in lasting more than eight hours near All India Radio’s headquarters in New Delhi. The Election Commission of India (ECI) said it would not meet the delegation at the Parliament House Annexe because its protocol requires such meetings to be held at Commission premises.
According to the ECI statement, no party had requested an appointment through an authorised representative by 4 p.m. At about that time, Delhi Police informed the Commission that a delegation led by Gandhi wanted to submit a memorandum. The Deputy Commissioner of Police later told the ECI the delegation comprised 240 MPs and proposed meeting at the Parliament Annexe.
The Commission called a meeting outside its premises unusual and declined the request. It offered instead to send its senior-most officer on duty to receive the memorandum. Opposition leaders rejected that offer. The ECI issued its statement after Gandhi was detained during the protest at Akashvani Bhavan.
The ECI said it established a procedure for meetings with political parties in 2025 and informed all parties. A single-party delegation or a joint delegation must request an appointment through an authorised representative; the parties then agree on a date and time.
The decision concerned the venue and procedure for the proposed meeting. The Associated Press reported that opposition parties were protesting to demand the election chief’s resignation amid a dispute over revisions to voter lists. The Commission and the government deny wrongdoing, AP reported.