The Congress is preparing to take forward its political campaign concerning the Election Commission. At the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, the party is expected to discuss its demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and its further strategy.
The CWC meeting will be held under the chairmanship of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge amid the ongoing political dispute between the Congress and the Election Commission over the poll panel and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The meeting will discuss the party’s next strategy. The Congress is also expected to deliberate on its demand for action against Gyanesh Kumar and his removal from office, as well as its position on reported differences within the Election Commission.
The CWC is the Congress’s highest decision-making body. The meeting is likely to discuss issues related to the Election Commission, the SIR process, and matters concerning the addition and deletion of names from electoral rolls. The Congress has alleged that serious questions have arisen over decisions related to the electoral process and voter lists. On these grounds, the party has demanded action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and his removal from office.
The Election Commission, for its part, has said that different views or suggestions emerging within the Commission are part of the institutional process and that its orders are issued under legal provisions. The Commission has also said that all election commissioners and officials have the right to offer suggestions for improving the electoral system.
Several opposition parties, including the Congress, have been raising questions over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The dispute intensified after reports emerged that two members of the Election Commission had raised objections to certain decisions and procedures related to the SIR.
The issues include changes to Form 6 for the registration of new voters, the process for adding and deleting names from electoral rolls, and questions related to the management of election data.
Against this backdrop, the Congress is preparing to take forward its political and organisational response to the Election Commission. The CWC meeting may decide the level at which the party will raise the issue and how coordination with opposition parties will be pursued.
A meeting of leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc is proposed for September 30, the day after the CWC meeting. The meeting is also expected to discuss a joint strategy on the Election Commission, SIR and issues related to the Chief Election Commissioner. The CWC meeting is therefore also being viewed in the context of coordination among opposition parties.
The Congress meeting is not expected to be limited to the dispute involving the Election Commission. Preparations for upcoming Assembly elections, the organisational position of the party in the states and possible political alliances may also be discussed. The party leadership may also deliberate on election preparations in different states and coordination with alliance partners.
The CWC may also discuss the reported purification of the stage following Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s meeting in Haldwani, Uttarakhand. The Congress views the incident in connection with Dalit dignity and is preparing to raise it as a broader social issue. A separate meeting of the party’s SC-ST leaders is also proposed on September 29, where the issue and matters related to Dalit and tribal rights are expected to be discussed.
The party may also review the performance of its student wing, NSUI, in the Delhi University Students’ Union election. In view of the upcoming elections, the organisational activity of the party in the states and its preparations at the grassroots level are also likely to be discussed.
