Congress Intensifies Protests Demanding Election Chief's Resignation Amid Controversy

Nationwide Protests Erupt Over Election Commission Controversy

New Delhi: The Congress party escalated its protests on Friday regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, attempting to march towards state election commission offices across the nation. They are demanding the immediate arrest and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with a thorough review of all decisions and changes made under his leadership.

The opposition party has accused the Election Commission of launching an "unprecedented attack" on voter equality, alleging the introduction of a 'Mark VIP' feature in the BLO application. They have called for Kumar to either become an "approver" or face legal consequences.

Numerous senior leaders, including Gaurav Gogoi, the party's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, were detained as police set up barricades to prevent their march towards the state election commission offices in various capitals.

These protests were sparked by a report from The Indian Express, which highlighted ongoing concerns raised by two of the three commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, regarding the SIR process. They have formally objected at least 14 times over the past ten months to decisions made without their consent.

In Delhi, Congress members gathered to protest against Kumar, demanding his resignation and an independent audit of the electoral rolls. They marched from the Delhi Congress office on Rouse Avenue to the BJP headquarters and then to the Election Commission office at Nirvachan Sadan.

Indian Youth Congress workers donned masks depicting Kumar's face and bound their hands in chains as a symbolic protest against the Election Commission, reiterating their demand for his resignation.

During a press conference, Pawan Khera, head of Congress' media and publicity department, declared that all decisions made by Kumar, including those related to SIR, are "null and void." He expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would intervene appropriately.

Khera urged Kumar to heed Rahul Gandhi's advice to resign and cooperate with investigations, warning that failure to do so would lead to legal action.

KC Venugopal, Congress general secretary in charge of organization, stated, "Gyanesh will go; it’s only a matter of time. Congress will ensure this happens." He emphasized that the protests are just the beginning of a larger movement to defend democracy.

The protests featured slogans and banners demanding accountability from Kumar as demonstrators marched from the IYC office towards the EC headquarters.

In Guwahati, Assam Congress president Gogoi and other leaders were detained while attempting to breach police barricades during their protest against Kumar's leadership.

In Lucknow, clashes occurred between Congress workers and police as they attempted to march towards the Uttar Pradesh assembly, led by local Congress leaders who accused Kumar of influencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's victory in Varanasi.

In Jammu, numerous Congress leaders and workers were detained during a protest led by Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain, with heavy police presence to prevent their advance.

Punjab Congress, under the leadership of Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, also protested in Chandigarh, where police used water cannons to disperse demonstrators attempting to reach the EC office.

In Patna, Congress workers marched towards the election commission's office, demanding Kumar's resignation, but were met with water cannons from the police.

In Odisha, Congress leaders attempted to surround the Chief Electoral Officer's office in Bhubaneswar, leading to several detentions by police.

Haryana Congress faced similar resistance, with police deploying water cannons to prevent their protest from reaching the chief electoral officer's office.

In Himachal Pradesh, Congress members protested outside the EC office in Shimla, demanding Kumar's immediate removal and arrest.

In Shillong, Congress workers burned an effigy of Kumar, reiterating their calls for his resignation and arrest.

As part of their ongoing campaign, all district Congress committees plan to organize large-scale protests at their respective district collectorates on September 28.