New Delhi [India], October 3 (ANI): Senior Congress MP and former Union Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday said protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar would "mount if he does not resign", amid the continuing political row over the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Speaking to ANI, Chidambaram said, "If Gyanesh Kumar does not resign, the protest will mount, the protest will become greater, and eventually, he has to resign... I don't know who's saving him. The government sometimes defends the Election Commissioner. Sometimes they say they have nothing to do with the Election Commissioner; it is a constitutional body. But clearly, somebody is protecting him. Somebody is encouraging him not to resign. But eventually, he has to resign."
The Rajya Sabha MP said there was currently "no evidence" against the other two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, and added that the Congress would seek their resignations if evidence emerged against them.
"If we know that the roles of the other two Election Commissioners are also doubtful or illegal, we will ask for their resignation. But at the moment, there is no evidence of that," he said.
The former Union Minister also urged Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of states to come forward and disclose the instructions they received in connection with the SIR exercise.
"Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer has spoken. Karnataka's Chief Electoral Officer has spoken. Odisha's Chief Electoral Officer has put in his papers for premature retirement. Before other High Courts or the Supreme Court start inquiring or calling the CEOs of all states, I would urge them to speak out—what instructions they received, when they received the instructions, and how they complied with the instructions. It's obvious the SIR process is illegal. Did they point it out? Despite pointing it out, did the Election Commission or the Chief Election Commissioner overrule them? They should speak now. This is the time to speak..." Chidambaram said.
He reiterated that he expected Gyanesh Kumar to resign and urged him to step down at the earliest.
"I have no doubt that Gyanesh Kumar has to resign someday or the other. It would be good for him to resign early, but if he doesn't resign, the protest will continue. The INDIA bloc protest will continue. The other groups are protesting, and he will be compelled to resign. The wisest thing he can do is to resign now..." he said.
The remarks came amid demonstrations by opposition parties, student organisations and civil society groups in Delhi and Mumbai over the SIR exercise and electoral-roll revision process.
On Friday, more than 500 people were detained during protests in Delhi, while demonstrations led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) were held at Mumbai's Shivaji Park, with protesters demanding greater transparency in the electoral-roll revision process.
Several opposition leaders in Delhi, including AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj, were detained amid prohibitory restrictions imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
The opposition campaign against the Chief Election Commissioner is expected to continue, with the INDIA bloc planning further protests, including a programme on October 6 and a major rally in Delhi on November 1.
The latest political row followed a report by The Indian Express, which "said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period regarding decisions and procedures linked to the SIR exercise and other electoral matters."
The reported objections included issues concerning Form 6, voter deletions and access to electoral-roll databases. The report said the two commissioners had formally objected to decisions and orders which they said were taken without their knowledge.
However, the Election Commission had rejected the suggestion that the reported objections amounted to institutional dissent over final decisions. The poll panel maintained that operational queries, inputs and suggestions raised during the draft stage were part of its standard administrative and decision-making process, and said decisions regarding the schedule of the SIR exercise were unanimous.
The controversy has since intensified political scrutiny of the functioning of the three-member poll panel, with opposition parties demanding accountability from the CEC and continuing their campaign over the electoral-roll revision exercise. (ANI)
"Protest will mount if Gyanesh Kumar doesn't resign": P Chidambaram amid SIR row
