Mumbai, Oct 5: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has launched a sharp attack on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, calling him an “enemy of the country” and alleging that he has gone underground amid growing Opposition protests demanding his resignation.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai on Monday, Raut said the Election Commission of India (ECI) should meet Opposition MPs who, according to him, have faced injustice in states where the poll panel allegedly favoured the ruling BJP.
Raut also said that Opposition MPs would march to the Election Commission’s headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday to raise concerns over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demand Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Raut Targets CEC Over SIR Controversy
The Opposition’s criticism of the CEC intensified following an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had reportedly raised objections at least 14 times over the past 10 months regarding decisions and orders related to the SIR process.
According to the report, the two Election Commissioners objected to certain decisions that they said were issued without their knowledge or recommendation.
The Election Commission, however, has defended its decision-making process. The poll panel said that differences of opinion and observations are a normal part of institutional deliberations and maintained that its orders have full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.
‘Gyanesh Kumar Should Come Before Us’
Raut reiterated his demand for the CEC to face the Opposition and explain the allegations surrounding the poll panel.
“Gyanesh Kumar is an enemy of the country,” Raut alleged, adding that the CEC should come before the Opposition and claiming that he had “gone underground.”
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also criticised Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for defending the CEC.
Raut demanded that the Election Commission meet Opposition MPs from states including West Bengal, Maharashtra and Bihar, where he alleged that the Opposition had been treated unfairly.
Opposition Plans Delhi March
The Opposition is set to march to the Election Commission of India headquarters in Delhi on Tuesday. The protest is focused on alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise and the demand for the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
The issue has also triggered protests in Maharashtra.
On Sunday, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray jointly led a protest march in Mumbai demanding the CEC’s ouster. Leaders from the Congress and NCP (SP) also participated in the demonstration.
The controversy over the SIR process and the reported differences within the Election Commission is likely to remain a major political issue as the Opposition steps up pressure on the poll panel.
