MA Baby detained as Left demands CEC's resignation; Subhashini Ali vows daily protests over SIR

CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby was detained during a Left parties’ protest outside the Election Commission of India office in Delhi on Tuesday while demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali told the press that the Left would hold daily demonstrations across the country until its demands over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were addressed.

The protest was part of a week-long programme announced by five Left parties — the CPI(M), Communist Party of India, CPI(ML) Liberation, Revolutionary Socialist Party and All India Forward Bloc — from 26 September to 2 October. The parties are demanding Kumar’s removal and an immediate halt to the SIR, alleging that the exercise threatens citizens’ voting rights.

Ali said the Left parties had decided to organise demonstrations across the country every day against the electoral-roll revision.

“Left parties of the country have decided that there must be a demonstration or protest every day across the country.”

She accused the government of taking away fundamental rights and linked the issue directly to the right to vote.

“This Govt is stealing our fundamental rights. Constitution can function when every citizen has the right to vote freely. They are ending it, and we cannot tolerate it.”

Ali said the agitation would not be limited to the current week and would continue for as long as the Left parties considered necessary.

“So, the protest will continue, however long it takes.”

Her comments came as Baby and other Left leaders demonstrated outside the Election Commission headquarters, demanding action against Kumar over the SIR.

CPI leader Brinda Karat, who also participated in the protest, called for Kumar’s removal and an immediate suspension of the SIR.

“CEC has to be either sacked or he has to resign. He won't resign though, so he needs to be removed. SIR has to be stopped immediately.”

Karat also called for changes to the rules governing the Election Commission.

The Left parties’ campaign comes amid a wider confrontation between opposition parties and the Election Commission over the SIR.

Congress has separately demanded Kumar’s removal and suspension of the revision exercise, while Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation on moral grounds over what he alleged was pressure on the CEC.

The controversy has intensified following reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months concerning decisions and orders related to the SIR.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a petition challenging Kumar’s functioning and seeking to declare the nationwide SIR illegal.

The Election Commission has maintained that differences in views and observations are part of institutional deliberations and that its decisions follow established statutory procedures. It has also said the SIR is intended to ensure the accuracy of electoral rolls and facilitate participation by eligible voters.

The five Left parties have also called for broader coordination with other opposition groups and civil society organisations over the issue.

Baby had earlier said the CEC had no right to continue in office, arguing that decisions of the three-member Election Commission should be taken unanimously or by majority. He has also demanded that the electoral-roll revision be halted until political stakeholders are consulted.

The Delhi protest is part of a series of demonstrations by opposition parties and civil society groups across the country demanding greater transparency and accountability in the electoral-roll revision process.