Chandigarh, Sep 25 Haryana Congress on Friday protested here, demanding the removal and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an independent review of all his election-related decisions and “changes” made in the voter list during his tenure.
Chandigarh Police used water cannons against the protesters to prevent the gherao of the State Election Commission office.
The protest was organised under the leadership of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Haryana Congress chief Rao Narender Singh and the party’s state affairs in-charge Sanjay Dutt.
The party leaders raised “Vote Chori” slogans during the protest in Sector 17 here.
Congress workers raised slogans against Kumar and demanded “transparency and accountability” in the functioning of the Election Commission.
Congress leaders said that if appropriate action is not taken on the demand for the removal of Kumar and action against him, the party will intensify its agitation.
Party MPs from Haryana Deepender Singh Hooda, Jai Prakash, Satpal Brahamchari and Varun Chaudhary, Karamvir Singh Boudh, senior leaders Birender Singh, Ashok Tanwar, Udai Bhan, Brijendra Singh and several MLAs including Ashok Arora, Aditya Surjewala, Aftab Ahmed, party district presidents were also present.
Later, several Congress leaders and workers raising “stop vote chori” slogans were briefly detained.
Rao Narender Singh said that fairness in the electoral process and the rights of voters are paramount in a democracy.
He said that all major election-related decisions taken during the tenure of Kumar, “changes made in electoral rolls, and the SIR process should be subjected to an independent and impartial review”.
Dutt said that a voter’s right to vote is the most important strength of democracy. Transparency and accountability are essential in any decision related to electoral rolls.
He said, “Gyanesh Kumar should resign; he should be arrested because if he continues in his post, he can influence the investigation. All decisions taken during his tenure should be reviewed, and criminal cases should be filed against all the officials involved.”
“In Haryana’s context, our demand is that it is now proved that through ‘Vote Chori’ the BJP government has been formed in the state,” Dutt alleged.
“Therefore, Nayab Singh Saini has no moral right to continue and he should resign. Polls should be held again in Haryana and people should be given an opportunity to exercise their right, as the mandate was earlier stolen. The BJP should seek a fresh mandate,” he said.
Rao Narender Singh said Kumar should resign or he should be dismissed.
On Thursday, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had claimed Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi have endorsed what he has been saying for over a year that the country’s electoral system has been “destroyed”, after revelations came out in a report by The Indian Express that they flagged issues of deletion and addition of votes through SIR.
Addressing the protesters, Hooda stated that public trust in the Election Commission’s functioning has eroded, with revelations about it surfacing one after another.
“Following Rahul Gandhi’s statements, media reports have now made it clear that the BJP formed governments in several states, including Haryana, by stealing votes,” he stated.
“Media reports clearly indicate that Gyanesh Kumar treated the Election Commission as his personal fiefdom to aid the BJP. He completely disregarded the other two Election Commissioners as well. Under these circumstances, Gyanesh Kumar has no right to continue in his post; he must resign immediately,” Hooda added.
Hooda noted that the Congress had raised several questions with the Election Commission following the Haryana election results but has received no response to date.
“For instance, on the night of the Haryana polling on October 5 2024, the Commission announced a voter turnout of 61.19 per cent for Haryana. However, the figure was raised to 65.65 per cent the following day, and further increased to 67.9 per cent on October 7, just a day before the vote count. It is baffling how the vote count could rise so significantly overnight,” he said.
In Haryana, Rahul Gandhi had also exposed irregularities in the voter lists, backed by evidence, Hooda said.
Hooda remarked that the BJP did not merely steal votes in Haryana but effectively stole the entire government through such tactics.
“This amounts to a subversion of the country’s democracy and Constitution. The Congress will raise its voice against this on every platform,” he said.
(PTI News)
