NEW DELHI: The Congress party has directed its state units to stage a protest march to their respective State Election Commission offices on September 25, calling for the arrest and dismissal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. This decision follows a controversy over the electoral roll survey, which was highlighted by a media report exposing disagreements among election officials.
“We will be marching in protest over this critical issue, and all Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) have been tasked with organizing significant demonstrations at their local State Election Commission offices tomorrow, September 25, demanding Kumar’s immediate arrest, his removal from office, and a thorough independent review of all decisions and electoral roll adjustments made during his tenure,” stated Congress leader KC Venugopal on the platform X.
“In the second phase of our protests, all District Congress Committees (DCCs) will conduct parallel large-scale demonstrations at their District Collectorates on Monday, September 28,” he added. “Gyanesh must be removed, and all his decisions must be overturned. Our protests will persist relentlessly until our demands are fulfilled and he is held accountable.”
Rahul Gandhi also weighed in, asserting, “The adversaries of the Constitution have been unmasked. Justice will prevail.” This statement follows a report by The Indian Express which indicated that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had repeatedly expressed concerns within the three-member panel regarding aspects of the electoral roll survey.
While the nationwide survey has been managed by all three Election Commissioners, Sandhu and Joshi reportedly documented their objections at least 14 times over the past 10 months, including four objections in one day, regarding decisions made without their consent.
