'No party sought meeting till 4 pm': EC on INDIA bloc sit-in against CEC Gyanesh Kumar

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday said no political party had formally sought an appointment with the poll panel before 4 pm, after reports emerged that a group of MPs wanted to meet the Commission and submit a memorandum. Track live updates

In a press note, the ECI said it was informed by the Delhi Police at around 4 pm that a delegation of MPs, led by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, wanted to meet the Commission.

The poll panel said its established procedure requires political parties or joint delegations of parties to seek an appointment through their duly authorised representatives. The meeting is then scheduled at a time mutually agreed upon by both sides.

“The Election Commission of India had laid down a procedure in 2025 for meetings with political parties. All political parties have been informed about this procedure and follow it. Whenever a delegation of a political party, or a joint delegation of several parties, wishes to meet the Commission, it seeks an appointment through its duly authorised representative. The meeting is then held at a time mutually agreed upon by both sides,” the statement read.

According to the ECI, the Delhi Police's deputy commissioner later informed the Commission that the proposed meeting involved around 240 MPs and was to be held at the Parliament House Annexe.

The Commission said it considered the request "unusual" and declined it, citing its protocol that such meetings are held at the premises of the Election Commission.

“When the Election Commission was considering the proposal for the meeting with the MPs after 4 pm today, the DCP of Delhi Police informed it that the meeting being sought was with a group of 240 MPs and that the proposed venue was Parliament House Annexe. The Election Commission considered this request unusual and could not accept it because, as per protocol, such meetings are held only at the premises of the Election Commission of India,” the statement read.

The ECI, however, said it offered an alternative. It proposed sending its most senior serving officer to the Parliament Annexe to receive the memorandum from the MPs.

The poll panel described this as an "unprecedented" step but said the proposal was also declined by the MPs.

“Any political party can request a meeting with the Election Commission at any time, and the Commission can, depending on the availability of time, decide the date and time of the meeting. This is a normal process,” the statement read.