Congress protests in Chandigarh, Panchkula for CEC’s resignation

After the protest, party leaders submitted a memorandum addressed to the President through the deputy commissioner, seeking the removal of the CEC

The Congress on Monday staged protests in Chandigarh and Panchkula, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Congress party's protest outside the deputy commissioner's office demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner at Panchkula on Monday. (Sant Arora /HT)

In Panchkula, the party, led by former Union minister Chaudhary Birender Singh and former Kalka MLA Pradeep Chaudhary, staged a demonstration outside the district secretariat. Despite the rain, party workers remained at the site for nearly an hour, carrying placards and banners and raising slogans against the Election Commission and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Singh alleged that voter lists were being manipulated in the name of SIR and claimed that Opposition voters were being deleted while bogus votes were being added. He accused the Election Commission of working at the behest of the BJP and demanded Kumar’s immediate resignation.

Chaudhary alleged that “vote theft” was being used to undermine democracy and questioned how free and fair elections could be ensured if electoral rolls were not accurate.

After the protest, party leaders submitted a memorandum addressed to the President through the deputy commissioner, seeking the removal of the CEC.

In Chandigarh, the party workers staged a protest at Matka Chowk. City unit president HS Lucky, along with the five district presidents Rajdeep Sidhu, Surjit Dhillon, Vipin Jyot Aman, Daljit Singh, Jasbir Bunty and other senior leaders were present.

Addressing the protesters, Lucky said the Election Commission is one of the most important constitutional institutions of the country’s democracy and its impartiality and credibility must be protected at all costs. He said the Congress party has raised serious questions regarding the functioning of the Election Commission and its recent decisions, and that the party’s democratic movement will continue until the CEC resigns from his post.

Rahul Gandhi, his party should introspect: BJP

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Sanjay Tandon who addressed a press conference along with Chandigarh mayor Saurabh Joshi, said the Congress must introspect over the party’s repeated electoral setbacks. “The Congress has won elections in Karnataka, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh, while the Aam Aadmi Party has won in Punjab and Delhi, and the TMC has repeatedly won in West Bengal. When Opposition political parties win in assembly elections, EVMs and the electoral system are acceptable, but when they lose, questions are raised. This double standard needs to end,” said Tandon.