New Delhi [India], October 1 (ANI): The Congress has called a meeting of all AICC in-charges and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chiefs in New Delhi on October 5 to discuss the party’s strategy for its agitation over the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The meeting comes amid a political confrontation between the Opposition and the poll panel over the electoral-roll revision process, with the Congress demanding action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities and accusing the Election Commission of compromising the integrity of elections.
The Election Commission has rejected allegations of wrongdoing and maintained that its actions are in accordance with the law.
Gyanesh Kumar has faced criticism from Opposition parties following a report by The Indian Express, which said that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over a period of 10 months regarding decisions and procedures related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and other electoral matters.
According to the report, an additional declaration relating to the previous SIR electoral roll was added to the online Form 6 on the ECINET portal. The declaration sought information on whether the applicant’s name, or that of their parent or grandparent, appeared in the electoral roll prepared during the previous SIR.
The issue has emerged amid a broader political confrontation between the Opposition and the Election Commission over SIR and the functioning of the poll body.
Earlier on Wednesday, INDIA bloc leaders held a coordination meeting in New Delhi and announced a series of protests against the Election Commission.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Opposition parties would organise a nationwide “Save Democracy March” at the district level from October 2 to October 8.
Opposition MPs are also scheduled to march to the Election Commission on October 6, while INDIA bloc leaders are expected to meet President Droupadi Murmu in the second week of October to raise their concerns.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while addressing the meeting, said INDIA bloc leaders were committed to ensuring accountability over what they allege are threats to democratic institutions.
“It is the personal commitment of all INDIA leaders that we are going to ensure that the people who have destroyed Indian democracy are punished. It doesn’t matter how senior they are, who they are; Indian democracy is bigger than every single person in this country,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has maintained that electoral rolls are prepared through established statutory processes and has taken steps to review the functioning of ECINET. (ANI)
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