UP Congress stages protest against CEC, demands his resignation

Uttar Pradesh Congress staged a protest on Friday demanding resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging irregularities in the electoral process

Uttar Pradesh Congress staged a protest on Friday demanding resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging irregularities in the electoral process.

UP Congress president Ajai Rai with UP Congress incharge RP Gautam and Congress legislature party leader Aradhna Mishra and party workers during protest . (HT)

The protest was staged amid an escalating political row over the functioning of the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. “Election Commission has failed in its constitutional responsibility of conducting free, fair and transparent elections,” said Ajai Rai, Uttar Pradesh Congress president.

Congress Uttar Pradesh in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam said, “The crime has been proven. They have committed treason against the country when the Constitution had given them a responsibility to conduct free, fair, and transparent elections.”

Congress had launched a pan-India protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Despite torrential rain Congress workers and senior leaders took out a march from the party headquarters and proceeded towards the Chief Electoral Officer’s office. As cops tried to detain protesting leaders, the party workers surrounded Ajai Rai and blocked cops from taking him towards the bus brought to the scene to detain protestors.

For half-an-hour protesters and cops had a tough time opposing each other near the Sunni Waqf Board office, even as it rained.

“Barricades were erected, roads were blocked, the police used full force, but the voice raised for democracy could not be stopped. Under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, the workers have given a clear message regarding the questions being raised that the struggle for the protection of every single vote and the demand for fair elections will continue,” said Congress legislature party leader Aradhna Mishra.

Several Congress workers were taken in buses to Eco Garden, from where they were released late in the evening. State in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam, UP Congress Committee president Ajay Rai, Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra, national secretaries (Sarvashri Abdul Hannan, Sanjeev Arya, Abhishek Dutt, Jagdish Chandra Jangid, Kunal Chaudhary, and Varun Chaudhary), former state president Brijlal Khabri, Shahla Ahrari, Anamika Yadav, were detained.