Andhra Pradesh Congress chief renews call for election commissioner’s resignation
Y.S. Sharmila has again called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign, alleging that orders issued without the reported consent of other election commissioners raise questions about transparency and accountability. She said the Congress would continue opposing any action that weakened the independence of democratic institutions.
Andhra Pradesh Congress president Y.S. Sharmila has reiterated her demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying recent developments at the Election Commission of India had raised concerns about transparency and accountability. Sharmila made the remarks while speaking to the media in Tamil Nadu on Sunday.
She was there to invite political leaders and family friends to her daughter’s wedding. She referred to reports that fellow Election Commissioners had objected to 14 orders allegedly issued without their consent. Sharmila questioned how decisions could be taken without the concurrence of other members of the constitutional body.
“The people of India deserve to know how these decisions were taken, who authorised them and who will be held accountable,” she said, according to the report. Sharmila described the right to vote as the most important personal right of citizens and as the foundation of India’s democracy. She warned that any attempt to compromise the integrity of the vote would weaken the Constitution and democratic institutions.
She also alleged that independent institutions were increasingly coming under the influence of the Narendra Modi government and the Bharatiya Janata Party. In making that claim, she referred to concerns previously raised about the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Income Tax Department and the Enforcement Directorate. Sharmila said the Congress would continue its campaign against what it considers efforts to undermine democratic institutions under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi.
“Our vote is our voice. Our democracy is our strength, and we will not allow anyone to take that right away from the people of India,” she said.
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