Panaji, Sep 25 The Goa Congress on Friday held a protest seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls currently underway in several parts of the country.
Congress leaders, including ICC Goa Desk in charge Manikrao Thakare, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, Member of Parliament Capt Viriato Fernandes, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar and working president Sunil Kawthankar, marched to the office of the state’s chief electoral officer Sanjay Goel and submitted a memorandum.
The demands in the memorandum, apart from Kumar’s resignation, included rescinding of the entire list of voters who were deleted, except those who have expired, party leaders said.
Gyankesh Kumar has betrayed the nation and must be charged with treason, Thakare said addressing the gathering.
“Not only Kumar, even Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah must resign over the fraud during SIR,” he said.
Fernandes said Gyanesh Kumar was attempting to rig the election process at the behest of the BJP, while Alemao said all the names which were deleted from the voters list should be immediately reinstated, except those who have died.
“The ruling BJP has realized it is going to lose the election, and hence, it was trying to win through such tactics,” Alemao added.
The protest continued for more than an hour before the Congress workers dispersed.
Meanwhile, CEO Goel, defending the SIR, said the process was carried out transparently, with political parties consulted at every stage.
He said ASDD and logical discrepancy lists were displayed at polling stations.
On the issue of 97 names, he said eligible persons were covered through house-to-house surveys and their names added through Form-6.
“The mechanism for filing Form-6 and appeals remains available and voters will be able to cast their vote. There is no blunder or mistake. The SIR is transparent,” Goel said.
The ECI’s SIR exercise involves verification and updating of electoral rolls, including scrutiny of entries and a process for electors to raise claims and objections.
(PTI News)
