'Save Democracy March' announced: INDIA bloc projects unity amid SIR row

Kharge said all Opposition MPs would also march to the Election Commission on October 6 NEW DELHI: The INDIA bloc on Wednesday announced a week-long district-level “Save Democracy March” from October 2 to 8, seeking to project a united Opposition campaign over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and concerns over the functioning of the Election Commission.Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the decision was taken after a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders at the Constitution Club in New Delhi, where leaders discussed how to mount a “united fight” on the issue. He said the marches would bring together INDIA bloc parties, civil society groups and “like-minded people” and be held outside district magistrates’ offices. Kharge said all Opposition MPs would also march to the Election Commission on October 6. The bloc had wanted to hold the march earlier but decided to wait for more MPs to join.“Two or three individuals within the Election Commission are merely pawns, while Amit Shah and Modi are manipulating them like puppets,” Kharge said after the meeting, alleging political interference in the poll panel. “All the parties spoke about fighting this battle unitedly.” A digital news desk journalist at The Times of India with over two years of experience. Closely tracks foreign affairs and international politics. Fondness for precise language and clever headlines. When not editing news, he is usually refining a turn of phrase.