The Congress will hold a protest in Indore on Wednesday demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Congress workers will assemble at Harasiddhi Square at 11 am, take out a procession to the collectorate and submit a memorandum addressed to the President.
City Congress president Chintu Chouksey said Congress workers would gather at Harasiddhi Square at 11 am before proceeding to the collectorate in a procession. The protest will be followed by the submission of a memorandum addressed to the President, seeking the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner from office.
The Congress said it would register its objections over the functioning of the Election Commission and issues related to electoral rolls.
The Congress has been raising questions over the functioning of the Election Commission and cases related to electoral rolls in various states. The party alleges that a large number of voters are being removed from electoral rolls in the name of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The party is demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner over these issues.
According to Chouksey, the protest will raise concerns over the functioning of the Election Commission. He said the Congress would submit a memorandum to the President seeking the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner or his removal from office.
At the national level, the Congress has also raised questions over SIR and the functioning of the Election Commission. On September 29, the Congress Working Committee demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the immediate suspension of SIR.
Chouksey claimed that objections had recently been raised by two other Election Commissioners over the manner in which the Chief Election Commissioner takes decisions. He alleged that instead of decentralisation of powers within the Election Commission, the decision-making process had been centralised.
The Election Commission, however, has said that its decisions are taken according to the prescribed procedure and has also issued clarifications regarding internal differences.
The issue has also reached the Supreme Court, where a petition challenging the functioning of the Chief Election Commissioner and SIR has been agreed to be heard.
The Congress alleges that it has continuously raised the issue of alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and removal of names during elections in various states. The party says questions have been raised over the process of removing voters' names under SIR. The Indore protest on Wednesday is being organised over these issues.
