Congress Turns Up Heat on CEC Gyanesh Kumar With Posters, Petition and Court Plea
Congress escalates its campaign against CEC Gyanesh Kumar with posters, an online petition and a Bombay High Court plea, after Rahul Gandhi demanded his resignation.
The Congress has intensified its campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, combining street-level protests, an online petition and legal action, a day after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi demanded his resignation.
On Friday morning, the OBC wing of the Delhi Congress put up posters at the ITO intersection in the capital reading "Gyanesh Hatao, Chunav Aayog Bachao" — remove Gyanesh, save the Election Commission.
The posters followed Gandhi's press conference in New Delhi on Thursday, where he called Kumar a "traitor" and sought his resignation. Referring to reported instances of Election Commission objections being disregarded, including on the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls, Gandhi said votes were being stolen, which in his view renders laws passed by MPs illegal. He warned that the Congress would not remain silent while democracy in India was "being destroyed".
The poll body responded to the reports by stating that all decisions it had taken over the past year were unanimous, adding that differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution.
The BJP pushed back sharply, dismissing Gandhi's press conference as a damp squib and describing him as a frustrated leader unable to win public support through democratic means. Party spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said the Congress was frustrated because the Gandhi-Vadra family had been democratically placed in the opposition by the people of India.
The Congress's multi-pronged offensive includes an online petition launched by the Indian Youth Congress on Thursday, titled "Gyanesh, It's Done Bro", which demands Kumar's removal as well as his arrest and prosecution. It also seeks a comprehensive investigation into the electoral process and voter rolls, and the public release of electoral records and the Commission's internal objections. The youth wing said the campaign is intended to carry the issue of electoral transparency and accountability beyond social media and mobilise citizens, especially young people, across the country.
Separately, a petition has been filed before the Kolhapur Bench of the Bombay High Court against Kumar and the Election Commission. The petitioners — Prathamesh Gopal Gavankar, Gaurav Suryakant Nakharekar, Aadesh Shashikant Bhatkar and Smitali Nilesh Narvekar — have asked that 14 "unilateral administrative orders and changes" allegedly issued by the Commission be revoked with immediate effect. They have also sought a halt to the ongoing SIR process in Maharashtra, the reinstatement of voters whose names were removed during the exercise, and the postponement of upcoming elections until fresh voter lists are prepared and approved.