New Delhi, Sep 24 Five Left parties on Thursday demanded removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and halt on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, announcing week-long protests across the country from September 26 to October 2.
The announcement followed a meeting of CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby, CPI general secretary D Raja and CPI(ML)-Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya at A K Gopalan Bhawan here, after which the leaders addressed a press conference.
In a joint statement, the CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML)-Liberation, along with the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) demanded restoration of voting rights for those “wrongfully excluded” from electoral rolls and sought measures to restore the credibility and independent functioning of the Election Commission (EC).
The move comes a day after The Indian Express reported about objections raised by two of the three election commissioners over decisions relating to voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, and the conduct of SIR.
The Left leaders cited the reports to question the EC’s functioning under CEC Gyanesh Kumar, saying the concerns extended beyond SIR to the integrity of the poll panel, calling the report an “indictment of the office of the CEC, which stands compromised”.
“Two of the three election commissioners have, on at least 14 occasions, recorded objections to decisions concerning voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, and the conduct of SIR,” the Left parties said in the joint statement.
They also flagged concerns over decisions allegedly being taken without consent of the two election commissioners and the reported “gradual centralisation” of the voter database, besides restrictions on its access by statutory officials at state and constituency levels.
It said the disclosures confirm concerns repeatedly raised by opposition parties and civil society organisations and “expose the hollowness of claims that the SIR and electoral-roll management are transparent and decentralised”.
“The two commissioners have specifically flagged gradual centralisation of the voter database and restrictions on the access of statutory officials at state and constituency levels. The consequences are not merely administrative,” the Left parties said.
They pointed to the reported case of Goa, where software restrictions allegedly prevented electoral registration officers (EROs) from recording decisions finding 97 voters eligible.
“The issue, therefore, goes far beyond SIR. It concerns the transparency and democratic functioning of the EC and the protection of the fundamental democratic principle of universal adult franchise,” they said.
Besides seeking Kumar’s removal, the Left parties demanded the SIR process be stopped and voting rights restored to those wrongfully excluded from the electoral rolls.
“It has become clear the chief election commissioner must take responsibility. If he doesn’t step down, he has to be removed,” Raja said.
Dipankar Bhattacharya said the Left parties had three key demands — “impeachment and prosecution of Gyanesh Kumar, immediate suspension of the SIR process, and restoration of voting right to all wrongfully-excluded voters”.
He said in states where elections had taken place on the basis of what he described as a “doctored electoral roll”, the validity of the election itself was at stake. “So obviously we have a demand for fresh elections in Maharashtra, fresh elections in Bihar, fresh elections in West Bengal.”
The Left leaders also sought replacement of the existing system for appointment of election commissioners with a mechanism based on the Supreme Court’s proposed selection committee comprising the prime minister, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and Chief Justice of India.
They announced nationwide protests — to begin September 26, the birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh, and conclude on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. They appealed to opposition parties, civil society organisations and citizens to join the protests.
“We will be trying to develop a broad platform of struggle, or a front line of struggle, where not only political parties, but social organisations, civil society movements, public intellectuals, artists, writers, scholars and intellectuals need to come together,” Baby said.
“Protecting the impartiality of the EC is the lifeline of the process of democracy in our country. If elections are subverted, then there is no democracy,” he said.
Raja said the Left parties appeal to “all secular democratic parties”, civil society organisations and concerned citizens to join the protests “in order to restore the credibility of the Election Commission, in order to restore the confidence and public trust of the people in our electoral system”.
The joint statement was signed by Baby, Raja, Bhattacharya, AIFB general secretary G Devarajan and RSP general secretary Manoj Bhattacharya.
(PTI News)
