CJP Demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar's Resignation Amid SIR Row
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has demanded Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, escalating the controversy surrounding the Election Commission.
CJP Gives Gyanesh Kumar 48-Hour Ultimatum
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, speaking at a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday, accused Kumar of undermining democracy and demanded that he step down within 48 hours.
Dipke called the CEC the "biggest anti-national" and alleged that the Election Commission under Kumar was effectively deciding who could and could not vote. These are allegations made by Dipke and have not been established as facts.
The CJP warned that it would launch a nationwide agitation if Kumar did not resign within the deadline. The group also called for a halt to upcoming elections and a rollback of the SIR exercise to the 2025 electoral roll.
SIR Row Behind Fresh Attack
The latest confrontation follows an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months concerning decisions related to electoral rolls.
The reported objections covered issues including voter additions and deletions, changes to Form 6, electoral-roll data management and aspects of the SIR process.
The report has triggered fresh questions over the functioning of the three-member Election Commission and the manner in which decisions concerning voter rolls were taken.
Election Commission Rejects Rift Claims
The Election Commission has rejected suggestions of an institutional split, saying written objections and technical observations are part of its normal deliberations.
EC officials said all decisions, including those concerning SIR, were taken unanimously with the approval of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi.
The Commission's position came after reports highlighted the objections raised by Sandhu and Joshi. The ECI said individual observations should not be interpreted as disagreement with the final decisions of the Commission.
CJP Raises Wider Demands
Alongside Kumar's resignation, the CJP has called for an inquiry into the allegations surrounding the Election Commission's functioning and a freeze on upcoming elections until the matter is examined.
The group has also demanded that SIR-related records be placed before a Supreme Court-led committee and that the law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners be repealed.
The dispute now places the Election Commission's handling of electoral-roll revision, internal decision-making and the safeguards around voter registration at the centre of a wider political controversy.
