CEC Row LIVE updates: Opposition steps up attack on Gyanesh Kumar; Priyanka Gandhi detained | Today’s news
CEC Row LIVE UPDATES: Opposition parties within the INDIA bloc staged protests in the state capital on October 6 demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the controversial Special Intensive Review (SIR) exercise on electoral rolls.
Tuesday’s demonstration is the latest in a series of near-daily protests that began last week by student groups, opposition parties and the Cockroach Janta Party.
The protesters demanded Kumar’s resignation and accused the electoral body he oversees of manipulating voter registration in favor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyank Gandhi Vadra and others marched towards Nirvachan Sadan, the headquarters of the Election Commission of India (ECI) from Parliament. TMC MPs Mahua Moitra and Abhishek Banerjee also joined the INDIA block protest. Some leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were detained during the protest.
Hundreds of security personnel, some carrying batons, stood behind barricades outside the commission’s office near parliament on Tuesday before the march.
Oppn vs Gyanesh Kumar – in a nutshell
The recent wave of protests began on October 2, Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. While the major protests took place in Mumbai at the Cockroach Janta Party on October 2, Delhi also witnessed sporadic protests by student unions. Tuesday’s protest was part of the INDIA bloc’s plan with the same demand against Kumar and the poll panel.
A previous protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in July this year against alleged examination irregularities led to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who eventually resigned.
In New Delhi, earlier protesters included a united delegation of activists, including All India Students’ Association president Neh Bor, and civil society members Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, among others. On October 10, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced a “mobilization” from Jantar Mantar.
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant an interim order preventing Gyanesh Kumar from functioning over allegations that he took several decisions unilaterally despite the objections of two other Election Commissioners (ECs), saying he cannot act on “assumptions” without first verifying the facts.
India launched its electoral roll in Bihar last year ahead of the state elections. The exercise has since spread to most states and union territories, with more than 13 million voters removed.
Critics say the process requires documents that are confusing and difficult to access, threatening to exclude millions of eligible voters. The survey panel says the goal of the revision is to eliminate duplicate and ineligible records while ensuring that eligible voters remain registered. Opposition parties and activists say this could disenfranchise legitimate voters.
Stay tuned to this LIVE blog to catch all the latest updates on the INDIA block protest against Gyanesh Kumar:
