2 hrs ago
Left parties demand CEC removal, halt SIR, announce protests
Five Left parties in India are unhappy with how voter lists are being reviewed.
They want Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to leave his post.
They also want the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls to stop.
The parties say some people may have been wrongly removed from voter lists.
They referred to reports that two election commissioners disagreed with some decisions.
They also raised concerns about who can access the voter database.
The parties will hold protests across India from September 26 to October 2.
They are asking opposition groups, civil society organisations and citizens to join them.
Five Left parties demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and a halt to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The parties announced nationwide protests from September 26 to October 2, beginning on Bhagat Singh’s birth anniversary and ending on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary.
They cited a report that two of three election commissioners had objected at least 14 times to decisions on voter registration, deletions, restorations and SIR.
The parties alleged growing centralisation of the voter database and restrictions on access for statutory officials at state and constituency levels.
They demanded restoration of voting rights for wrongly excluded voters and a new election-commissioner appointment system involving the prime minister, opposition leader and Chief Justice of India.
- Who
- The Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation, Revolutionary Socialist Party and All India Forward Bloc.
- What
- They demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, a halt to the Special Intensive Revision, restoration of wrongly excluded voters’ rights and changes to the election-commissioner appointment system.
- Where
- The announcement was made in New Delhi, with protests planned across India.
- When
- The announcement was made on September 24; nationwide protests are planned from September 26 to October 2.
- Why
- The parties cited reported objections by two election commissioners and concerns about voter-list decisions, database centralisation, access restrictions and the Election Commission’s independence.
Left parties
Election Commission position
Special Intensive Revision
Left parties
The Left parties called for the SIR process to be stopped, arguing that it could exclude eligible voters and raised broader concerns about electoral transparency.
Election Commission position
The article reports no direct response from the Election Commission or Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to these demands.
Election Commission functioning
Left parties
The parties said reported objections by two election commissioners indicated compromised leadership, centralisation of the voter database and restrictions on statutory officials’ access.
Election Commission position
The article does not provide the Election Commission’s explanation or position on the reported objections and database arrangements.
Key facts
- Protesting parties
- Five Left parties: the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation, Revolutionary Socialist Party and All India Forward Bloc.
- Main demand
- Removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
- Electoral-roll demand
- Stop the Special Intensive Revision and restore voting rights to people wrongly excluded from electoral rolls.
- Protest dates
- September 26 through October 2.
- Reported objections
- Two of three election commissioners allegedly objected at least 14 times to decisions involving voter registration, deletions, restorations and SIR.
- Database concern
- The parties alleged gradual centralisation of the voter database and restricted access for statutory officials.
- Appointment proposal
- They proposed a selection mechanism involving the prime minister, leader of the opposition and Chief Justice of India.
Quotes
The five Left parties
The CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML)-Liberation, RSP and AIFB, issuing a joint statement
“The issue, therefore, goes far beyond SIR. It concerns the transparency and democratic functioning of the EC and the protection of the fundamental democratic principle of universal adult franchise.”
theprint.in
“The consequences are not merely administrative.”
theprint.in
Sources
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