Cong demands CEC’s removal, PM Modi’s resignation over ‘match-fixing’ elections

• CWC demands comprehensive data on every major change to the electoral roll be made public

• Voters whose names have been removed must receive full notification and an opportunity to appeal

• Political parties should be provided with the electoral rolls and relevant essential data in a simple format and in a timely manner

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday, 29 September, demanded the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation on moral grounds over what he alleged was pressure on the poll panel chief.

Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in New Delhi, Kharge also demanded full disclosure of major changes made to electoral rolls and timely access for political parties to voter lists and relevant data.

The CWC, which met for around two-and-a-half hours, subsequently passed a resolution demanding Kumar’s immediate resignation, suspension of the SIR process and restoration of 13.3 crore names that the party claimed had been removed from electoral rolls.

The resolution also called for an independent, time-bound inquiry wherever evidence of serious discrepancies emerges. It said voters whose names have been removed must be informed and given an opportunity to appeal.

Kharge said electoral rolls must be transparent, the election process fair, institutions independent and every eligible citizen's vote secure.

He alleged that two election commissioners had described actions by Kumar as arbitrary and improper, and said the CEC should not continue in office. Kharge further alleged that Modi had pressured the poll panel chief and should therefore resign on moral grounds.

The Congress has also demanded that complete data on major changes to electoral rolls be made public and that political parties receive electoral rolls and relevant data in a simple format and within a reasonable timeframe.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said Kumar had “no moral right” to continue as CEC. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the country's elections were not fair or transparent and described them as “match-fixing” between the Election Commission and the prime minister and home minister.

Ramesh said Rahul Gandhi had spoken at the CWC meeting for around 20-25 minutes and argued that concerns he had previously raised about elections in Haryana, Karnataka and Maharashtra were now being borne out by subsequent developments.

The CWC resolution said the party would oppose what it described as “vote chori” in Parliament, courts and on the streets, until electoral transparency was restored.

Kharge also invoked the 1988 decision to lower the voting age from 21 to 18, contrasting it with what he alleged were recent changes to Form 6, used for voter enrolment.

The demands come amid controversy over reported differences within the Election Commission. An Indian Express report said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders related to SIR that they said were issued without their knowledge or recommendation.

The Election Commission has said differing views and observations are a normal part of institutional deliberations and that its orders have full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.

The CWC meeting was attended by former Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal and other senior leaders.

Congress chief ministers from Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh also participated in the meeting.

With elections due in five states, Kharge said ensuring that eligible voters were not deprived of their voting rights was crucial and called for greater public confidence in the electoral process.