{
  "id": 10908240,
  "title": "India bloc meeting: Kharge bats for pre-SIR electoral roll for future polls; voting through ballots instead of EVMs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/india-bloc-meeting-kharge-bats-for-pre-sir-electoral-roll-for-future",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T09:27:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/india-bloc-meeting-pre-sir-electoral-rolls-evms-ballot-voting-cec-gyanesh-kumar-one-person-one-vote/article71527620.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On September 30, 2026, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge advocated for pre-SIR electoral rolls in future elections and called for voting through ballots instead of EVMs at the India bloc meeting. Kharge urged the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar to resign, accusing him of being compromised and failing to maintain integrity. Kharge emphasized the importance of transparency and the unity of the opposition INDIA bloc. He highlighted concerns about the Commission's functioning, including EVM usage and voter-list manipulation. Kharge insisted that no genuine Indian citizen should be removed from the electoral process without clear reasons and that the Election Commission must be independent and impartial.",
  "summary": "Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge advocates pre-SIR rolls and ballot voting as part of the INDIA bloc’s push for transparency, accountability, and broader voter inclusion ahead of future polls",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times",
        "title": "In 1911, why did British India shift its capital from Calcutta to Delhi. Decoding the reasons behind the move",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/in-1911-why-did-british-india-shift-its-capital-from-calcutta-to",
        "published": "2026-09-30T04:46:37.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hindu",
        "title": "Who is attending INDIA Bloc meet today? Mamata Banerjee, other top leaders gather in Delhi over EC row",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/who-is-attending-india-bloc-meet-today-mamata-banerjee-other-top",
        "published": "2026-09-30T06:56:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Economic Times",
        "title": "Kharge lays out INDIA bloc’s election demands",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/kharge-lays-out-india-blocs-election-demands",
        "published": "2026-09-30T07:45:31.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}