Congress marches to Chandrapur Collector's office, wants Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to quit

The Congress took to the streets of Chandrapur on Thursday with a 'Vote Bachao - Desh Bachao' march, and used the occasion to demand that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar step down from his post.

The programme formed part of the 'Loktantra Bachao Saptah' (Save Democracy Week), which the party is observing on the directions of the All India Congress Committee. A people's campaign under the Vote Bachao - Desh Bachao banner is being run during the week. Party members walked from the historic Gandhi Chowk in the heart of the city to the office of the District Collector.

The procession was headed by MP Pratibha Dhanorkar. With her were Subhash Dhote, who is the district Congress president and a former MLA, and Shiva Rao Polshetti, who heads the party's city district unit.

Speaking at a public meeting held in front of the Collector's office, Dhanorkar went after the Centre. "Because of the arbitrary functioning and dictatorial tendencies of the Central government, anarchy has spread across the entire country today. Transparency in the election process has come to an end, and the democratic system and the fundamental rights given to every citizen by the Constitution are in danger," she said. She held the Chief Election Commissioner responsible for this state of affairs and said he should resign at once. She also warned that her party would not rest until he did, and that its struggle would stay just as intense.

She then told the gathering: "'Vote Bachao - Desh Bachao' is not just a slogan, but it is the fight all of us have taken up to protect democracy in the present circumstances. Democracy is not limited to elections. It is a system tied to citizens' rights and constitutional values. It is everyone's responsibility that voters' rights remain secure, the election process be transparent and the democratic values given by the Constitution be protected. For the autonomy and impartiality of the Election Commission to remain intact, it is extremely necessary that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign from his post. The Congress party will keep raising its voice for this."

Dhote also addressed the meeting. He said that the Congress leadership, namely Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, along with the party and the INDIA bloc, had been taking up the problems of ordinary people without a break, in order to defend democracy and the Constitution. Citizens, he added, must themselves stay alert to their rights.

Once the meeting ended, a delegation led by Dhanorkar called on the District Collector. It handed over a memorandum addressed to President Droupadi Murmu. The document sets out a number of major demands, the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner among them.

Among the legislators and senior functionaries who joined the march were MLA Adv. Abhijit Wanjari, and former district presidents Santosh Lahamge, Vinod Dattatraya, Subhashsingh Gaur and Vinayak Bangde. Mahendra Brahmanwade, who heads the Congress in neighbouring Gadchiroli district, came as well. Wing leaders present were Youth Congress district president Shantanu Dhote, Mahila Congress district president Kunda Jenekar and Mahila Congress city president Chanda Vairagade, while Rajesh Adur, president of the city district unit, was also there.

Local office-bearers and civic representatives included former mayor Sangeeta Amritkar, party floor leader Surendra Adbale and the two Nagaradhyaksha, Arun Dhote and Dipti Sontakke. Taluka president Vijay Gawande and city president Abdul Karim Sheikh took part too, along with Raju Reddy, Dinesh Chokhare, Pramod Chaudhari, Anil Narule, Ranjan Lande, Govinda Upre, Nirmala Kudmethe, Pramod Borikar, Deepak Wadhai, Umakant Dhande, Sapna More, Pawan Bhagat and Sunita Gowardhan.

The Youth Congress contingent included Saurabh Tipale, Naresh Gulapalli, Mangesh Bawane, Abhijeet Gongle and Ashish Bonde. Apart from them, the main office-bearers of the party, its workers and a large number of citizens attended the agitation.