Charge of deleting 13 crore voters fuels calls for CEC's resignation

There is turmoil inside the Election Commission. Two election commissioners have openly objected to some decisions of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, raising questions over the commission's credibility. There is anger over the issue across the country. Congress and all opposition parties have jointly questioned the commission's functioning and demanded that the Chief Election Commissioner resign, failing which impeachment proceedings be brought against him.

Amid this pressure, Congress said on Thursday that serious questions have arisen over the credibility of the election process, and that if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has any moral integrity left, he should step down. Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh also said that Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah would also be held responsible for this "despicable conspiracy". Meanwhile, in Goa, a booth-level voter registration officer checked documents.

Opposition parties have also mobilised in Parliament. Preparations are underway to bring an impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner in both houses. Congress has spoken to other opposition parties on the issue and is set to file a notice in the coming two weeks.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi went further and demanded that a sedition case be filed against Gyanesh Kumar. She said that 13 crore voters' names were deliberately removed from the electoral rolls to pave the way for an unjust election. Priyanka Gandhi said, "Whoever tampers with the democratic electoral process is committing sedition. Our stand is absolutely clear."

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) is set to march to Loka Bhavan on September 25 demanding the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner.

Separately, the organisation CJP has announced a nationwide agitation over three demands, including Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The organisation's head, Abhijeet Deepke, said that if Gyanesh Kumar does not resign within 48 hours, a "Save the Vote" campaign will be launched across the country and a movement called "Jantar Mantar 2.0" will begin in Delhi. CJP has put forward three demands: Gyanesh Kumar's resignation and action against him, restoration of the January 2024 electoral rolls, and halting the SIR and repealing the 2023 law that gives legal protection to the commissioners. National convenor Saurabh Das and co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka joined Deepke at the press conference in questioning the Election Commission's functioning.