Congress chief urges removal of Election Commissioner, claims bias toward BJP

Mahesh Kumar Goud, head of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee, announced on Monday that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar should step down, saying the Election Commission is helping the BJP manipulate voter lists. He made the demand at a rally in New Delhi that also featured Indian National Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. The gathering brought together activists, youth and several Telangana ministers, MPs, MLAs and MLCs, as well as Congress observer Sachin Sawant. Goud alleged that the BJP is trying to secure victories by stealing votes and that the commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls contains clear irregularities. He said evidence of tampering is strong and urged the Supreme Court to hear the opposition’s case. The protestors described the situation as a systematic attempt to cheat voters and called for immediate action against the chief election officer. The Congress party pledged to keep the agitation alive until the commissioner is removed by the Union government.

Context

The Special Intensive Revision is a periodic update of voter rolls intended to remove duplicates and correct errors. Accusations of bias in this process can affect public confidence in elections, especially when major parties claim the commission is favouring a rival.