Congress workers staged a protest outside chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar’s parental residence in Agra on Monday and painted slogans on the main gate in connection with the ongoing controversy over the Election Commission’s functioning and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Police later removed the slogans.
Former Congress state general secretary (organisation) Anil Yadav and Mathura district Congress president Mukesh Dhangar, who led the protest, were arrested in Agra. Party workers also held protests in other districts across Uttar Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party have consistently warned the nation that the electoral machinery is being utilized to confer undue advantages upon the BJP. Evidence has now emerged indicating that the Election Commission was operated under the control of a single individual, sidelining the other two Election Commissioners. In Saharanpur, a confrontation was witnessed between police and protesters over a banner. In Ayodhya district, a protest march was staged from the Congress office to the Collectorate. Protests were also held in Sonbhadra, Sitapur, Rae Bareli, Unnao and Mathura districts. He also referred to Rahul Gandhi’s allegations regarding electoral rolls and claimed that subsequent developments had strengthened the Congress’ concerns.
Police detained the Mahanagar Congress president and other workers and registered a case against 10 people.
Police said no permission was sought for the protest. In Lucknow, hundreds of Congress workers gathered at Tikunia Park and marched toward the Election Commission office at Janpath Market, said Kunwar Singh Nishad, chairman of the UP Congress media department. Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai said, “Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had long ago raised his voice against the large-scale ‘vote theft’ campaign allegedly underway across the country. Party workers were stopped by the police in front of the district hospital, where they registered their protest by burning the CEC’s effigy, said a press statement issued by Congress in Lucknow. Earlier reporting noted: Warring leads Ferozepur protest, seeks CEC’s removal Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Monday led a party protest here demanding the removal of chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the Election Commission of “subverting and sabotaging” the electoral process.
Earlier reporting noted: Congress workers raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home minister Amit Shah and Kumar and burnt their effigies during the protest. Earlier reporting noted: Warring alleged that the Election Commission under Kumar was selectively deleting names of voters believed to be opposed to the ruling party.
“Protest marches and effigy-burning, demonstrations were held across the state to oppose the alleged collusion of CEC with the BJP, as well as his unconstitutional acts and conspiracy to facilitate ‘vote theft’ and manipulate voter lists,” said a Congress press statement in Lucknow.
