MA Baby meets Kejriwal ahead of INDIA block meeting at Election Commission

CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby met Aam Aadmi Party National Convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his residence in New Delhi on 27 September 2026. Photo: X/@cpimspeak via PTI.

Ahead of the INDIA block meeting scheduled for September 30 on the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI), CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby met Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi on Sunday (September 27, 2026).

The two leaders discussed the recent report on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar allegedly ignoring objections raised by Election Commissioners on the Special Intensive Review (SIR) exercise and the Enforcement Directorate’s action against former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The meeting comes days after Mr Baby wrote to INDIA bloc parties and other non-NDA parties seeking a joint discussion on the development following reports of differences within the exploratory panel over the SIR exercise. Three-decade-old differences aside, Mr. Baby also spoke to Mamata’s All India Trinamool Congress (MAITC) president, Mamata Banerjee, who agreed that the situation called for coordinated action.

Meeting agenda

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr. Baby said his primary purpose was to invite Mr. Kejriwal to participate in the Left’s campaign against the alleged misuse of central investigative agencies. He pointed out that the Enforcement Directorate, which was used against Mr Kejriwal and his colleague Manish Sisodia, was now deployed against former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in what he described as a sustained attempt to tarnish his image. The two leaders also discussed the “authoritarian manner” in which Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was functioning and the need for a united effort by the opposition to expose his alleged wrongdoing.

The INDIA bloc meeting scheduled for next week is expected to discuss the functioning of the Election Commission, the SIR exercise and the opposition’s progress, including the move to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Published – 27 Sep 2026 19:12 IST