Kharge demands CEC’s removal over electoral-roll revision claims

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Speaking at a Congress Working Committee meeting in New Delhi, Kharge also called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resign on moral grounds, alleging that he had pressured the Election Commission chief. The claims were made by Kharge and were not accompanied in the supplied material by a response from the government or election authorities.

Kharge said Congress would raise the issue in Parliament and take it to the streets. He argued that the alleged changes to electoral rolls threatened the protection of voters’ rights and the independence of institutions. He listed five demands: publication of all data concerning changes to the rolls; an opportunity for deleted voters to appeal; timely provision of electoral rolls to political parties in a simple format; independent, time-bound investigations into serious anomalies; and greater transparency in the electoral process.

Kharge said the two other Election Commissioners had described Kumar’s actions as arbitrary and unreasonable. He alleged that the CEC was helping the ruling party and said he should no longer remain in office. The Congress president also thanked party leaders and workers for supporting Rahul Gandhi, who had raised allegations about irregularities and criticised the CEC’s role.

Kharge said transparency, impartiality and institutional independence were central to protecting the vote.