Congress To Hold Nationwide March Over Election Commission Row

• Congress has called nationwide protest marches for September 25.
• The demonstrations will be held at State Election Commission offices.
• The party is demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s arrest and removal.
• The move follows controversy over SIR and reported internal objections within the ECI.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 25th Sept: The Congress has directed its state and district units to organise protest marches to their respective State Election Commission offices on September 25, demanding the arrest and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an independent review of decisions and changes made to electoral rolls under his tenure.

The directive follows a political controversy over reported differences within the three-member Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding the functioning of the poll panel and issues related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

According to reports, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections on multiple occasions over decisions and processes concerning electoral-roll revision and the ECI’s technology systems. The Indian Express reported that such objections were recorded at least 14 times over a 10-month period.

Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, in a letter to state and district party units, called for demonstrations outside election offices. The party has sought the arrest and removal of Kumar and an independent review of decisions taken during his tenure, according to reports.

The Congress has also alleged irregularities in the electoral-roll revision process and accused the Election Commission of taking decisions without adequately involving other members of the poll panel. These are allegations made by the party and have not been established as facts.

The Election Commission has maintained that differences of opinion are part of institutional deliberations and has indicated that its recent decisions were taken unanimously. The BJP has also rejected the Opposition’s allegations, arguing that reported differences within the poll panel demonstrate institutional functioning rather than wrongdoing.

The latest protest call comes amid broader Opposition efforts to seek Kumar’s removal. Congress sources have said that an Opposition motion for his removal is being prepared for Parliament, while the legal process for removing a Chief Election Commissioner requires a high constitutional threshold involving both Houses of Parliament.