Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], October 12 (ANI): Keralam Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Monday expressed pride over the state's assembly adopting a resolution seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, asserting that the southern state is the only one in the country to take such a decisive stand to protect India's "democratic traditions and parliamentary democracy."
Speaking to ANI in Thiruvananthapuram, Chennithala reaffirmed the Congress party’s and the INDIA bloc’s unflinching support for Rahul Gandhi’s campaign against alleged institutional bias, declaring that the Opposition's ongoing agitation will continue unabated until democratic accountability is restored.
"Kerala is the only state where the government has passed a resolution seeking the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. We are proud that the Kerala government and the Kerala Assembly have passed such a resolution. This is for the people of India and the democratic traditions of our country," Chennithala said.
Underlining the Opposition's determination to sustain the nationwide agitation, the senior leader reiterated the Congress party's commitment to defending constitutional norms.
"Parliamentary democracy must be protected. That is why our leader, Rahul Gandhi, is fighting for it. We fully support Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party, and the INDIA alliance. That is why we passed this resolution. The protest is ongoing, and it will continue," he added.
Additionally, Chennithala recently defended and initiated a fresh Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) inquiry into a 2006 case from Gyanesh Kumar's tenure as Kerala's Public Works Department (PWD) Secretary, linked to the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) and the 2006 death by suicide of a project engineer.
Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and 10 other INDIA bloc leaders have moved the Supreme Court against the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The petition challenges the manner in which the ECI took decisions related to the SIR and seeks disclosure of the Commission's complete files, agendas, minutes, notings and objections concerning the disputed decisions, including the June 24, 2025 decision to commence the exercise, along with ECINET and ERONET access logs.
It also seeks a judicial examination of whether the decisions were taken in accordance with Article 324 of the Constitution, the 2023 law governing the Election Commission and the Supreme Court's ruling in T.N. Seshan vs Union of India.
Among the substantive prayers, the petitioners have asked that no elector be deleted without notice and a reasonable opportunity of hearing, and that booth-wise lists of deleted electors along with reasons and demographic details be published.
It further seeks an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to audit deletions and modifications in electoral roll databases, including ECINET and ERONET, and an interim suspension of the ongoing SIR pending adjudication.
The plea specifically seeks directions that "every decision of the Election Commission relating to the Special Intensive Revision is taken and duly minuted" as per the 2023 Act and that "no elector is deleted from the electoral roll without notice and a reasonable opportunity of hearing in accordance with law."
Besides the ECI, the petition impleads Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
Petitioners include Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, TMC MP Saugata Roy, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, CPI(M) leader MA Baby, CPI leader D Raja, JMM MP Mahua Majhi, NCP (SCP) MP Supriya Sule and IUML leader Mohammed Basheer.(ANI)
"Kerala, only state to pass resolution seeking removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar": Minister Ramesh Chennithala
