India Bloc to Meet in Delhi Amid Protests Against Chief Election Commissioner

Parties from the India bloc plan to meet in Delhi on September 30 to address various issues.

Rising tensions surrounding the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision have prompted protests across several states. Demonstrations have been reported in regions such as Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, and Uttar Pradesh, among others. Congress workers are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar due to alleged electoral roll manipulations.

India bloc parties are likely to meet in Delhi on September 30 to discuss the Election Commission and other issues, according to sources cited by PTI.

The proposed meeting comes amid a political row over the functioning of the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Congress workers staged protests across several states on Friday demanding the resignation and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Demonstrations were reported in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Manipur and West Bengal.

The protests followed a directive from the All India Congress Committee to state units to march to Election Commission offices and demand action against Kumar.

The opposition has also indicated that it is preparing a motion seeking Kumar's removal in both Houses of Parliament. The issue is also expected to figure at the Congress Working Committee meeting scheduled for September 29 in New Delhi.

The political confrontation intensified after an Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders concerning the SIR process.

The reported objections covered issues including changes to voter-registration Form 6, additions and deletions from electoral rolls and centralised control of electoral-roll data.

The Election Commission has rejected the characterisation of the objections as evidence of institutional dissent. It has said differing views, operational queries, internal feedback and administrative suggestions are part of the normal functioning of a multi-member constitutional body, and maintained that final decisions relating to SIR were unanimous.

The BJP has also rejected the Congress' allegations. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi defended the SIR process as legally sound and said the Commission's decision-making was based on majority consensus.

In Guwahati, Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi was detained by Assam Police during a protest demanding Kumar's resignation. In Manipur, police fired tear gas shells after a Congress demonstration turned confrontational, according to PTI.

In Jammu and Kashmir, Congress MLAs protested against Kumar inside the Legislative Assembly, while demonstrations were also held in Dehradun, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Kolkata and other locations.

In Karnataka, the Pradesh Congress Committee filed a police complaint against Kumar and BJP MLA Abhay Patil, seeking legal action over alleged violations of voting rights and alleged manipulation of electoral rolls.