Protests Erupt in Patna Against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar

Patna, September 25 (Daily Kiran) : In Patna, on September 25, members of the Bihar Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) staged protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstrators were voicing their concerns over issues related to the Special Intensive Review (SIR).

As protesters attempted to march toward the State Election Commission office, police deployed water cannons to prevent their advance. The rally commenced at R-Block and made its way to the office, with a significant turnout of Congress leaders and workers demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner.

Rajesh Ram, the president of the Bihar Congress Committee, stated that the protest is linked to questions raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding the electoral process and voter lists. “This demonstration is happening because Rahul Gandhi has been exposing the Election Commission. It has now been proven that governments in Bihar, Haryana, and Maharashtra were formed through vote theft. The Election Commission has yet to respond to Rahul Gandhi,” he asserted.

These allegations reflect the political stance of the Congress party and have not been substantiated as facts by the Election Commission or any court. Tensions escalated during the protest when Congress workers clashed with police. Some protesters climbed barricades while carrying an effigy of the Chief Election Commissioner, leading to chaos at the scene. Subsequently, police used water cannons to disperse the crowd.

During the protest, Congress leaders and activists also demanded the removal and arrest of Gyanesh Kumar. Among the nationwide protests by Congress, Purnia MP Rajesh Ranjan, also known as Pappu Yadav, criticized the Election Commission, stating, “They have wronged 130 million people in Bengal, Bihar, and Assam. How can they be let off easily?”

The RJD, a key ally in the Grand Alliance, also joined the protests in Patna. RJD leaders and supporters took to the streets questioning the functioning of the Election Commission, particularly regarding the SIR and electoral processes.

These protests are part of a larger political campaign by opposition parties, raising concerns about the management of voter lists and the SIR by the Election Commission. Demonstrations followed a report alleging that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally lodged objections regarding the Commission’s decisions and procedures at least 14 times over ten months.

The objections included issues related to voter registration, name removals, reinstatements, changes in Form 6, and management of new voter data. The report indicated that some objections pertained to decisions made without the knowledge or approval of the commissioners. Concerns about the centralization of control over the voter list database and aspects of the SIR process were also highlighted.

The Election Commission has dismissed suggestions that the objections reflect a lack of consensus within the three-member body. According to the Commission, all decisions, including those related to the SIR, have been made with the approval of all three commissioners and passed unanimously. The Commission stated that revealing individual internal comments without considering the broader group of decisions and approvals only presents a partial view of its decision-making process.

As the controversy over the Election Commission’s operations and the SIR continues, opposition parties are demanding accountability, while the Commission maintains that its decisions adhere to established procedures.