New Delhi [India], September 25 (ANI): Congress MP Manish Tewari raised "very serious integrity issues" regarding the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI), demanded the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and called for the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the poll body's operations.
Speaking to reporters, the senior Congress leader laid down key demands, alleging large-scale deletions from the electoral rolls.
"There are very serious integrity issues with regard to the functioning of the Election Commission. And as we've articulated earlier, number one — the Chief Election Commissioner should step down. Number two, a joint parliamentary committee should be constituted to go into the functioning of the Election Commission. Number three, the 13 crore-odd deletions which have taken place—each deletion needs to be put onto the website of the Election Commission with the reason for that deletion, and a fresh opportunity has to be given to all of them to be able to get back on the rolls because it's a very strange situation whereby people are getting deleted," Tewari said.
Questioning the opacity of the revision process, the Congress MP questioned the explanation regarding duplicate or ghost voters.
"Now, if there are duplicate voters, there should have been an increase in voters in some state or the other, which has not happened. And if they are ghost voters, then where did they come from? The entire SIR exercise has been conducted in a very opaque, non-transparent manner," he stated.
Tewari further raised concerns over reports suggesting the centralisation of electoral roll management and the restriction of access for local electoral officers.
"If the reports with regard to the fact that there has been a centralisation of the electoral roll—and the AEROs who actually look after the electoral roll in their respective assembly constituencies are being denied access or given selective access—it then goes to the entire integrity of a democratic process. Because if the electoral roll itself is vitiated, where does that leave our democracy?" he asked.
Meanwhile, the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Friday marched from Raisina Road to Jantar Mantar in the national capital, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, as Congress protests against the Election Commission intensified across several states.
In Patna, Bihar, police used water cannons to disperse Congress workers protesting against Gyanesh Kumar and demanding his resignation. Similar scenes were witnessed in Punjab, where police deployed water cannons as Congress workers staged a demonstration in Chandigarh. Some protesters climbed atop police vans during the protest.
Congress workers also staged demonstrations in several other states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur.
In Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, Congress leaders and workers staged a protest. outside the State Election Commission's office over the ongoing issues concerning the Election Commission. During the demonstration, protesters blackened the official board displayed outside the State Election Commission's office.
In Manipur, Congress workers led by PCC president Okram Ibobi Singh and Congress Legislature Party leader Keisham Meghachandra Singh marched towards the Chief Electoral Office at Lamphelpat. Protesters demanded Kumar's arrest and prosecution and burnt an effigy of the CEC. The demonstration later turned tense, with protesters scuffling with police, following which tear gas shells were fired.
In Jammu, heavy police deployment was reported outside the Election Commission office, while Congress MLAs in Srinagar staged a protest inside the Legislative Assembly, carrying banners demanding Kumar's resignation. Demonstrations were also held in Lucknow, Guwahati and Kolkata.
The protest was part of the Congress' nationwide programme against the functioning of the Election Commission and its handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The protests come amid a political row over the SIR exercise following an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months concerning decisions and procedures related to electoral rolls and database access. (ANI)
CEC should step down, JPC must probe Election Commission's functioning: Congress MP Manish Tewari
