J&K Congress to protest, demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation

The J&K Congress will hold a protest in Jammu demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over a row regarding the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Congress MLAs also protested in the Assembly, where the issue of statehood was also raised.

Congress Demands CEC's Resignation Over Electoral Roll Row

The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee will hold a protest demonstration in front of the Election Commission office in Jammu on Friday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The protest will be led by AICC General Secretary and MP Sayed Naseer Hussain, along with senior Congress leaders. Heavy police deployment has been made outside the Election Commission office in view of the planned demonstration.

The protest comes amid the ongoing political row over the functioning of the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The fresh row erupted after The Indian Express on Thursday reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the SIR process.

Statehood, Governance Debated in J&K Assembly

In Srinagar, Congress MLAs also staged a protest inside the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Friday and raised banners demanding the immediate resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The Opposition also raised various issues, including the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The protests took place on the second day of the ongoing Assembly session, which is scheduled from September 21 to September 30.

Meanwhile, speaking about the Assembly session, Congress MLA Nizamuddin Bhat said the absence of statehood had affected the functioning of the government and its decision-making process. "There are many issues. Everyone will have their say, be it the opposition or anyone else, but one must understand the government's constraints in the absence of statehood. Everyone realises that a state possesses power, financial authority, and political legitimacy. Today, even minor matters must be sent to the LG's office, where they often languish for months or years without a response. So, while the BJP makes noise about what isn't being done, the truth is that the Union Government holds the reins; everything falls under the Home Ministry," he told ANI.

Opposition Slams Government's Handling of Session

PDP MLA Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi criticised the functioning of the Assembly session and alleged that the government was avoiding key issues. "The session is not proceeding the way it should have. Yes, Question Hour is taking place, and constituency-related matters are being raised; MLAs are bringing up issues concerning their respective constituencies in the House. However, a government seems to be shying away from the session; it is hesitant to discuss critical issues, whether it is reservation or unemployment... the government is, in one way or another, avoiding the critical issues," he told ANI.

NC MLA Javid Hassan Baigh also raised the issue of statehood and questioned the BJP's position on it. "The biggest question that arises is: if statehood has no significance, why was a Union Territory created? If statehood is unimportant, what was the need to give an undertaking in the Supreme Court? If statehood doesn't matter, the BJP should stand up on the floor of the House and move a resolution stating they don't want statehood; then the House can debate and decide whether it is needed or not. These people have no shame. They were part of the government here in 2014. What did they do for delivery workers? They were in power from 2019 right up to 2025. What did they do for delivery workers?" he added.

BJP MLA Accuses UT Govt of Inaction

BJP MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia, meanwhile, accused the government of being on the "back foot" during the session and said opposition members had repeatedly raised issues over unfulfilled promises. "The government is clearly on the back foot in this session. Two years have passed, so they are duty-bound to answer, and we have indeed demanded answers. Right from the first day, we raised issues regarding their unfulfilled promises. We protested continuously inside the assembly for two days, yet they had no answers... instead, they tried to divert attention by making comments about kings and maharajas. Whenever it concerns their own agenda or personal interests, they get the job done; however, when it comes to public work, they claim they cannot act because they lack statehood. It is truly unfortunate that they are unwilling to perform tasks that fall well within their jurisdiction, using the lack of statehood as an excuse when questioned about public welfare. This is very unfortunate," he said.

On August 5, 2019, the Central government repealed Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, effectively ending the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the erstwhile state into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly session is scheduled to have seven sittings, with legislators expected to raise issues including employment, reservation, regularisation of workers, power tariffs and other public concerns. (ANI)

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