{
  "id": 10885880,
  "title": "INDIA bloc meets amid row over Election Commission",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/india-bloc-meets-amid-row-over-election-commission",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T07:03:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-bloc-meeting-election-commission-cec-gyanesh-kumar-10900289/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The opposition parties within the INDIA bloc convened on Wednesday to formulate a unified protest strategy against the Election Commission amid ongoing disputes. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge emphasized the need to safeguard the Constitution from repeated attacks by the Modi government, advocating for voting through ballots instead of EVMs. The opposition, comprising 19 allies, outlined six demands, including complete transparency in electoral roll revisions, protection of eligible voters, institutional accountability for the Election Commission, and a lower voting age of 16. Sources revealed that the CPIM-L representative suggested lowering the voting age, while Mamata Banerjee of the TMC expressed dissatisfaction with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. The meeting, attended by leaders from various opposition parties, reaffirmed the commitment to protect India's Constitution from the perceived autocracy of the BJP.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hindu",
        "title": "INDIA bloc meeting: Ahead of INDIA meet, hoardings target Opposition leaders; BJP questions Rahul's leadership",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/india-bloc-meeting-ahead-of-india-meet-hoardings-target-opposition",
        "published": "2026-09-30T06:05:26.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express - India",
        "title": "‘Vote through ballots instead of EVMs’: INDIA bloc lists out 6 demands after EC expose",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/vote-through-ballots-instead-of-evms-india-bloc-lists-out-6-demands",
        "published": "2026-09-30T07:03:08.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}