Left parties stage protests across Visakhapatnam, demand removal of CEC

Activists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) took out a rally from the party’s district office at Pithapuram Colony to the National Highway at Maddilapalem on Friday, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the withdrawal of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

CPI(M) district secretariat members B. Gangarao and P. Mani alleged that Mr. Gyanesh Kumar was part of a “conspiracy” by the BJP and the RSS to delete the votes of those opposed to the ruling party. They said the Union government amended the election law in 2023 to suit itself.

Earlier, CPI(M) workers took out a motorcycle rally in the morning from Ravindra Nagar in Ward 13 of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation. District secretariat member R.K.S.V. Kumar claimed that about 13 crore votes had been deleted across the country. He criticised Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for their “silence,” and said Left parties had called for nationwide protests on October 10.

At Purna Market on Spring Road, CPI(M) leader Y. Raju led workers, including porters, burnt portraits of the Chief Election Commissioner. Jagadamba zone convener M. Subba Rao was present.

In Ward 77 of the Malkapuram zone, CPI(M) activists burnt portraits of Mr. Gyanesh Kumar. District secretary M. Jaggu Naidu and zone secretary P. Pydiraju were present.

In the evening, the CPI and CPI(M) jointly protested at Kommadi Junction in Madhurawada. CPI leader M. Pydiraju and Mr. R.K.S.V. Kumar claimed that about 50,000 voters had been deleted in Andhra Pradesh. Similar protests were held at Arilova and Pendurthi.

At Kancharapalem, CPI district assistant secretary P. Chandrasekhar demanded a judicial inquiry into the Chief Election Commissioner’s conduct and restoration of deleted names. North constituency secretary Nagabhushana Rao was among those present.