New Delhi, India: Ahead of the opposition's public impeachment programme against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, scheduled for 3.30 pm, INDIA bloc leaders have started arriving at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on Friday to attend the meeting.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, party leader Pawan Khera, General Secretary KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh are among the leaders expected to attend the meeting at 10, Rajaji Marg.

The meeting comes amid the opposition's protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The INDIA bloc has accused the Election Commission of undermining electoral democracy and has raised allegations of irregularities in the electoral process.

The programme, announced by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, will be followed by an INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday announced the venue and timing of Friday’s programme in a post on X, alleging that the INDIA bloc had been denied other locations. 

“Having been denied other locations, the INDIA janbandhan will be holding a public impeachment of Gyanesh Kumar at 10, Rajaji Marg, New Delhi at 3.30 pm on Friday, Oct 30, 2026,” Ramesh wrote. He accused the Chief Election Commissioner of violating the Constitution and undermining electoral democracy. Ramesh also alleged that the CEC had lied to the Supreme Court and acted on behalf of the ruling leadership. The CEC has demonstrably violated the letter and spirit of the Constitution. He has systematically subverted the very foundations of our electoral democracy. He has, to put it bluntly, lied to the Supreme Court. He has been the willing executioner on behalf of the Diabolical Duo whose turn will come next,” Ramesh wrote further.

Meanwhile, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has stepped up preparations to counter the opposition's allegations through its 'Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy' campaign.

Separately, Congress MP Imran Masood accused the Central government of selling public sector assets established by previous governments, alleging that railway stations, airports, banks and public sector undertakings (PSUs) were being treated as tools for profit-making.

Reacting to a tweet by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Masood questioned the Centre's contribution to building public institutions and alleged that the government was focused on selling assets established during the tenures of former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh.

"They (central govt) are solely focused on selling everything that was built by Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, and Rajiv Gandhi. What have they built themselves? They have sold off everything—railway stations, airports, banks, and PSUs—all of which were serving the nation. These institutions were not established to generate profit; they were created to provide employment to the people of this country... Now, they are treating these assets as mere tools for profit-making and selling them off," Masood said.

He further alleged that the country's national debt had increased fourfold over the past 12 years compared to the debt accumulated during the preceding 60 years. "In the last 12 years, they have increased the national debt to four times the amount that had accumulated over the previous 60 years. These are the facts that people ought to reflect upon," he added. (ANI)