Union minister Ramdas Athawale backs Chief Election Commissioner, says resignation not needed

CEC Backed

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Sunday defended Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, stating that he does not need to resign over allegations of names being intentionally removed from voter lists.

Voter List Figures

Speaking in Srinagar, the Republican Party of India chief said that out of 13 million cases involving removed names, six million occurred because people changed their residential addresses for various reasons. The RPI is an ally of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

Protests and Violence

Athawale defended police action against protesters in Delhi, stating that while peaceful protest is a democratic right, anyone engaging in violence must go to jail. He also questioned the motives of the Cockroach Janata Party for participating in Jantar Mantar protests, noting that the party was originally formed to demand Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leak, a demand that was already met.

Political Jabs

Addressing 'vote theft' allegations made by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Athawale countered that the same logic could be applied to claim Congress leaders won elections through fake votes. On the subject of restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, he stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have promised to restore it at an appropriate time, and he will share local sentiments with them upon returning to Delhi.

Context

Cabinet and junior ministers frequently address political controversies and state policy matters during public interactions across different parts of the country. Such statements reflect the official positions and political alignments of ruling coalition partners on ongoing national debates regarding election oversight and governance.