Congress protests against CEC, Jitu Patwari questions poll process

Congress workers held a nationwide protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar over the SIR of electoral rolls. Leaders like Jitu Patwari and Pawan Khera questioned the electoral process, alleged EVM tampering, and demanded the CEC's resignation.

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], September 28 (ANI): Congress workers held a nationwide protest on Monday against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. In Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari questioned public trust in the electoral process.

Patwari said trust was behind every choice people made and alleged that doubts had emerged over the election process. “When Prime Minister Modi became Prime Minister for the first time, we accepted that there might have been some shortcomings on our part. The Constitution became a topic of discussion during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP lost 70 seats in the process, and the atmosphere was not in their favor; yet, they formed the government,” he said.

Patwari Questions Electoral Trust in Bhopal

Patwari said suspicions arose when it appeared that the election was being “stolen”, and referred to allegations of EVM tampering. Sharing an example from his own booth, Patwari said, “There wasn't a single BJP worker at my booth, yet the BJP received 300 votes.” He questioned the impact of losing public trust in a democracy. “In a democracy, if trust is lost, then who will the public place their faith in?” Patwari said.

Patwari also targeted the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, referring to the removal of former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. “They removed Shivraj Singh Chouhan and sent a 'Chief Minister chosen via a slip of paper' instead,” he said. He further criticised the state government over its response to deaths caused by cough syrup, spurious liquor and drowning, while referring to the Chief Minister's reaction to the toppling of three bricks. “They take the people of the state for fools; the Chief Minister did not shed tears over deaths caused by cough syrup, spurious liquor, or drowning, yet he wept over the toppling of three bricks,” Patwari said.

Nationwide Demonstrations Escalate

Meanwhile, in Jaipur, Rajasthan, Congress workers also held a protest against the Election Commission over the SIR exercise. Visuals from the demonstration showed party workers raising slogans and participating in the protest. The protests were part of the Congress' countrywide demonstrations against CEC Kumar, with the party demanding his resignation and raising objections to the SIR exercise.

Protests in Other Key Cities

In Srinagar, Congress MP Pawan Khera alleged that the election mandate was being “stolen” and termed the SIR exercise “completely illegal”. "This protest is ongoing across the country. CEC deceived this country; election mandates are being stolen. SIR is completely illegal. For an amendment to Form 6, it needs to be brought to Parliament. But it wasn't done. So, SIR becomes illegal. If SIR is illegal, all additions and deletions are illegal.There is outrage across the country. Everyone wants to protest. Gyanesh Kumar should be sacked to save the country," he told ANI.

In Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai said, “Our protest against Gyanesh Kumar is happening countrywide. People in every corner of Uttar Pradesh have definitely woken up to the fact that such corrupt people are conducting elections." Asked about the September 30 INDIA bloc meeting and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's absence, Rai said SP representatives had attended several such meetings earlier. “Samajwadi Party representatives have attended many meetings before this. People have gone and taken part in several meetings. I think it's just like... since Samajwadi Party representatives have been to meetings before, it depends on them who they send. That's up to them,” he told ANI.

In Hyderabad, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Mahesh Kumar Goud, along with party leaders, led a protest march from the Indira Gandhi statue to the Election Commission office as part of the state-level demonstration. Congress MP Kiran Kumar Chamala said the party would submit a complaint seeking the resignation and prosecution of Gyanesh Kumar. “Today, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee decided to do the protest, and we will be walking from Indira Gandhi statue up to the Election Commission in Telangana. We want to file a complaint regarding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation and prosecution,” Chamala said.

Chamala alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had influenced the CEC to delete voters' names to ensure that they remained in power. “This clearly shows that Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have influenced the CEC to delete the votes to make sure that they continue in power for 50 years,” he alleged. He also demanded that the 2025 voter list be revoked and called for the reinstatement of 13 crore voters.

Meanwhile, Left parties staged a protest against Gyanesh Kumar in Patna, while Congress workers held demonstrations in Srinagar and Lucknow. The protests come amid a wider political row over the EC and the SIR exercise. The Congress and other Opposition parties have raised questions over the functioning of the poll panel and demanded action against the CEC. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)