NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday demanded the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and restoration of 13.3 crore names it alleged had been deleted from voter lists. It also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation, alleging that the CEC could not have conducted “match-fixing” elections without his knowledge and approval.
The demands were made at a two-and-a-half-hour meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), chaired by party president Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, along with senior leaders including Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Briefing the media after the meeting, Ramesh said Rahul Gandhi spoke for around 20-25 minutes and argued that recent revelations concerning the Election Commission had emerged because the Congress had consistently raised questions over the conduct of elections.
“Rahul Gandhi himself has been raising these issues related to polls in Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra and some did not believe him but now he has been proven right,” Ramesh said, while alleging that elections in India were neither fair nor transparent and describing them as “match-fixing” between the Election Commission and the Prime Minister-Home Minister duo.
According to Ramesh, Gandhi also told the meeting that the Congress was not merely a party of “virodh” (opposition), but one of “pratirodh” (resistance).
The CWC adopted a resolution calling for Kumar’s immediate resignation, claiming he had “forfeited all moral and institutional authority”. It also demanded an immediate halt to the SIR, citing concerns over the integrity and transparency of electoral rolls being prepared through the exercise and questioning its constitutional validity.
The Congress further demanded restoration of 13.3 crore names it alleged had been removed from electoral rolls.
The resolution accused the Chief Election Commissioner of facilitating what it described as “vote chori” on behalf of Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and said their resignations were necessary to safeguard the Constitution and democracy.
The party said it would oppose the alleged electoral irregularities in Parliament, the courts and on the streets until those responsible were held accountable, voters’ rights were protected and the Election Commission was restored as an independent constitutional authority.
Venugopal said the Congress’s immediate demand was that Kumar should not remain Chief Election Commissioner “for a single day”. He warned that the party would intensify its campaign for his resignation.
Calling Kumar a “tool”, Venugopal alleged that decisions relating to the SIR could not have been taken without the concurrence of the Prime Minister and Home Minister. He said Modi bore a “moral responsibility” and that the Congress was seeking his resignation on those grounds.
The CWC meeting came days after reports said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders concerning the SIR, which they reportedly said had been issued without their knowledge or recommendation.
The Election Commission, facing criticism over the reported differences among its members, has maintained that differing views and observations are a normal part of institutional deliberations. It has also said that all its orders have full legal sanction, follow established statutory procedures and are approved by the full Commission.
The Congress said the issue represented a larger struggle to protect universal adult franchise and the integrity of India’s electoral system and pledged to continue its campaign through constitutional and democratic means.