1 hr ago
Anti-Gyanesh protests spread nationwide as Opposition parties demand CEC resignation
Opposition parties in India held protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
They say a voter-list updating exercise removed too many people from the rolls.
Rahul Gandhi highlighted a Delhi settlement where officials listed only one voter among 728 residents.
Election officials said most homes there had been demolished, so the voters were placed on a list for people needing verification.
Officials later held camps to check the voters again.
Police stopped or controlled protests in several cities using water cannons, batons and arrests.
Some Congress supporters also defaced property and posters connected to Gyanesh Kumar.
The CPI said some of its leaders were hurt during a protest in Patna.
The government and election officials have not accepted the Opposition’s accusation that the process was designed to steal votes.
Opposition parties and activist groups protested in Delhi, Patna, Agra, Bhopal, Jaipur, Srinagar and other locations, seeking Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Police used water cannons, batons, arrests and detentions during protests, while the CPI alleged that national leaders were injured in Patna.
Congress and Youth Congress activists defaced property and posters linked to Gyanesh Kumar, leading to arrests in Mathura.
Rahul Gandhi alleged that 727 of 728 residents in Delhi’s Bela Estate were removed from draft electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision.
Election officials said the Bela Estate homes had been demolished and the affected voters were no longer living at their registered address; camps were later held to re-enumerate them.
- Who
- Opposition parties, activist groups, farmers’ organisations and mass organisations, including Congress and the CPI, protested against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
- What
- They demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and opposed the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
- Where
- Protests occurred in Delhi, Patna, Agra, Bhopal, Jaipur, Srinagar, Midnapore and other state capitals and district headquarters.
- When
- The protests took place mainly on Monday, following related actions over the preceding weekend.
- Why
- The protesters alleged that the voter-roll revision caused wrongful mass deletions, while election officials said some deletions reflected demolished homes and voters no longer living at registered addresses.
Opposition and Protesters
Election Officials and Authorities
Voter-roll deletions
Opposition and Protesters
The Opposition says the Special Intensive Revision wrongfully removed voters and described the process as a method of vote theft.
Election Officials and Authorities
Election officials said voters in Bela Estate were removed from the registered address because homes had been demolished and the electors were no longer residing there.
Gyanesh Kumar’s responsibility
Opposition and Protesters
Congress and allied groups hold Gyanesh Kumar responsible for the revision and demand that he resign.
Election Officials and Authorities
The election authorities have announced relief measures and re-enumeration camps but have not accepted the Opposition’s allegations.
Handling of protests
Opposition and Protesters
The CPI and Congress described police action as excessive, citing batons, water cannons, arrests and alleged injuries.
Election Officials and Authorities
Police and security forces restricted marches, protected the Election Commission headquarters and removed demonstrators from locations where protests were being held.
Key facts
- Main demand
- The Opposition demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
- Voter-roll deletions
- The article says almost 14 crore names were deleted during the countrywide Special Intensive Revision.
- Bela Estate
- Rahul Gandhi said 727 of 728 residents linked to a polling station were excluded from the draft rolls.
- Election officials’ explanation
- Officials said homes in Bela Estate had been demolished in 2022-23 and affected voters no longer lived at their registered addresses.
- Police response
- Authorities used water cannons, batons, arrests and detentions in response to demonstrations.
- Agra vandalism
- Congress supporters spray-painted insulting slogans on the gate of Gyanesh Kumar’s parents’ home; two Congress leaders were arrested in connection with the vandalism.
- Election Commission measures
- The poll panel announced relief measures for voters affected by the revision and steps intended to restore proper procedures.
Quotes
Mallikarjun Kharge
Congress president and Rajya Sabha Opposition leader
“728 people live in Bela Estate on the banks of the Yamuna. After SIR, only one name remains in the voter list — the other 727 names have been struck off.... In 2023, their homes were demolished —but they didn’t go anywhere, they’re still right here.”
telegraphindia.com
“A 20,000-strong march demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar was met with lathis, water cannons, arrests and detention of hundreds, including CPI National Secretaries Dr. Girish and Sanjay Kumar”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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