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Opposition to meet, push for CEC Gyanesh Kumar's removal on September 30 amid SIR row
Key leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee, are expected to attend amid criticism of the Election Commission's recent actions.
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At least 21 Opposition parties have decided to meet in New Delhi on September 30 to chalk out a joint strategy for the next stage of political action against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, seeking his removal and taking a call to move another impeachment notice against him, people aware of the development said.
Meanwhile, the Congress has called for a meeting of its top executive body—Congress Working Committee— on September 29 to discuss the issues surrounding the CEC and the conduct of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the country.
This comes amid the ongoing political row over the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI) following a report on a national daily which claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding decisions and procedures related to the SIR exercise.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)’s Tejaswi Yadav, Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary MA Baby are among the leaders from 21 Opposition parties expected to join the meeting.
Also Read | Election Commission presents united front in face of mounting criticism
The CPI(M) general secretary has also written to several Opposition leaders seeking their participation in the meeting.
According to a person aware of the matter, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which faces the Congress in the upcoming Punjab assembly elections, and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which has snapped its ties with the Congress, will not attend the meeting, however, both parties will sign the joint declaration against the CEC.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien announced that both the party chief and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will attend the meeting.
“First, GK (Gyanesh Kumar) has to GO. There are certain other demands which have been raised. Those demands are very much in place, including how a CEC is selected and how SIR was a fraud. We will work unitedly, purposefully and swiftly,” he said.
Indicating the next stage of political actions against Kumar, O’Brien added, “The top leaders will express themselves. We will take it from there- unitedly, purposefully and swiftly.” Meanwhile, the new impeachment notice has been drafted.
The meeting is likely raise demands, including a suspension of the ongoing SIR and inclusion of the Chief Justice of India in the three-member panel that selects the CEC, the person cited above said.
Also Read | Opposition protests, NDA allies seek answers as pressure mounts on ECI
The Left parties are set to suggest a petition to President Droupadi Murmu, who appoints the election commissioners. The Opposition leaders are also expected to launch a vitriolic attack against the BJP for trying to protect Kumar.
“First, Gyanesh Kumar - then a serving IAS officer - was used to recruit for the BJP. Then Modi and Shah made him the umpire and put him in charge of match-fixing India’s elections,” Rahul Gandhi wrote on X.
He had earlier accused the government brass for protecting Kumar.
Speaking at a small gathering at Serampore in Hooghly district, Mamata Banerjee said that she would support anyone staging protest against the ECI and won’t see the party or the colour.
“I saw Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan joining the protest in Delhi. I had sent a message that we would support anyone staging protests on this issue. We won’t see whether he is A or B or C or D or E or Z. We will see the issue. If it is in the people’s favour, we won’t see any colour or party. We will stand beside them,” she said.
According to TMC MP Saugata Roy, Banerjee has already spoken to Baby, Gandhi and other Opposition leaders regarding the meeting. He also confirmed about Banerjee receiving the letter from Baby.
“I came to know on Thursday from Banerjee that she (Banerjee) received a letter from Baby. The letter came at our Parliamentary party office. In the letter he has said that political parties should join hands to fight against Kumar. He has also proposed that a meeting should be held. Banerjee has agreed,” he said.
Also Read | ‘Even BJP leaders lost elections because of Gyanesh Kumar’: Abhijeet Dipke
Congress’s communications head Jairam Ramesh said in a statement on Saturday, “The CEC thinks he can hide behind ‘bureaucratise’ and protocol. He stands exposed and is now petrified as an entire country seeks to hold him accountable. The ongoing SIR which has turned to be method of massive disenfranchisement of several crores of India must be suspended immediately without delay. In the meantime, nothing short of the CEC’s resignation or prosecution will suffice.”
In June this year, 23 Opposition parties had met at the same Constitution Club after the last round of assembly polls. The parties had decided to write to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant over the manipulation of the Election Commission through SIR and sought electoral fairness. It had also decided to formulate a five point programme to encourage unity among the parties.
With inputs from Joydeep Thakur in Kolkata
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