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CEC won’t resign, Opposition spreading chaos, says Athawale

Regarding the police action against the protesters in Delhi, Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment says those who indulged in violence will have to go to jail

Published on: Oct 12, 2026, 07:36:30 IST
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Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Sunday charged the opposition with spreading chaos, asserting that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar will not resign. “The deletion of 13 crore voters came after proper examination. Six crore of them are those who have migrated, 2.8 crore are deceased, one crore voters were found registered at two places, and three crore are missing or haven’t voted for years,” the minister said while addressing a press conference.

Union minister Ramdas Athawale addresses a press conference in Srinagar. (PTI)
Union minister Ramdas Athawale addresses a press conference in Srinagar. (PTI)

Athawale, who heads the Republican Party of India (RPI) — a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre — said that those removed from the voter lists are not necessarily 100% from the opposition camp.

Regarding the police action against the protesters in Delhi, Athawale said those who indulged in violence will have to go to jail. “Rahul Gandhi and the Opposition are deliberately trying to cause trouble for the people. In a democracy, everyone has the right to protest, but it is not right to spread chaos,” he said.

Questioning the motive of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) joining the protests at Jantar Mantar, the minister said, “The CJP was formed to demand the resignation of former Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the paper leak in the NEET examinations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepted the demand, and the minister concerned resigned. Why is the CJP protesting now?”

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ashiq Hussain

A senior correspondent with Hindustan Times, Ashiq Hussain has reported from Kashmir since the year 2008. He has been writing extensively on politics, militancy, environment and developmental issues in J&K. He has reported for the paper during one of the transformative periods in J&K’s history. Besides HT, he has also reported and edited for local news dailies and weeklies in Kashmir. He has a master's degree in mass communication and journalism from Kashmir University.Picture link: https://x.com/aashiqbhatt/photo, X handle: @aashiqbhatt, mail:ashiq.hussain@htlive.com

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