HYDERABAD: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B Mahesh Kumar Goud on Saturday demanded that the Election Commission provide a comprehensive explanation over reported objections raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on various aspects of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
As part of the All India Congress Committee’s nationwide protest call, the Congress will hold protests at all district headquarters in Telangana on September 28, with the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar among its demands, Mahesh Goud said. In Hyderabad, a protest will be held at the Ambedkar statue on Tank Bund at 10.30 am on Monday.
In a statement, the TPCC chief said the reported objections by the two Election Commissioners had strengthened concerns already raised by the Congress over the handling of the SIR exercise.
Mahesh Goud said it had been reported that the two commissioners had raised objections to the inclusion of SIR-related questions in Form-6, which is used by citizens seeking registration as new voters. He demanded that the Election Commission clarify the legal basis for the changes introduced in the electoral registration process.
He also sought clarity on the procedure followed for making changes to voter data and the role, supervision and accountability of Electoral Registration Officers, who exercise statutory authority at the field level.
The TPCC chief alleged that the Congress had been questioning the Election Commission’s actions from the beginning and said the reported objections had further strengthened the party’s concerns. He appealed to democratic-minded citizens, organisations and civil society groups to support the protests and campaigns being organised by the Congress across the country.