HighLights
  1. INDIA bloc MPs marched to ECI, demanded CEC resignation.
  2. CJP and student groups held protests, faced detentions.
  3. Supreme Court issued notice on ECI's voter roll decisions.

ECI-SIR Row: INDIA bloc MPs, including Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Tuesday marched towards the Election Commission of India office in New Delhi, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar. The opposition has been targeting the EC after a report by The Indian Express claimed "dissent" within the poll body over a number of decisions regarding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The controversy is no longer limited to opposition parties, with student groups and pressure groups like CJP also joining the campaign against the CEC. The Gen Z-led outfit, Cockroach Janta Party, has announced a big protest on October 10 at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. Five student organisations have also extended their support to CJP's protest call, demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar and revocation of Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

These developments have created a political storm around the ECI and the BJP-led Central government. But how exactly is the opposition mounting pressure on the ECI? What led to the controversy, and what has happened so far?

How Did The ECI-SIR Controversy Begin?

The ECI-SIR row began after a report by The Indian Express claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months regarding decisions on electoral rolls, voter registration and the Commission's technology systems.

The CJP and the INDIA bloc opposition alliance allege that the process was manipulated to delete genuine, eligible voters without due process.

However, the Election Commission has rejected all allegations, denying any dissent within the three-member panel. The EC, in its official statement, said that all its decisions, including those concerning the SIR, were taken "unanimously". The poll panel has maintained that the exercise was aimed at clearing duplicate entries, which resulted in striking off over 13 crore voters from across the country.

Protests Against CEC

On October 2, Delhi's Jantar Mantar saw hundreds of demonstrators take to the streets in a protest organised by student groups and opposition parties against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. As permission had not been granted for the protest site, Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita was imposed ahead of the demonstration, prohibiting unauthorised assemblies, processions, sit-ins and sloganeering in the area.

Delhi Police detained nearly 1,000 people, including political leaders and activists from various student and civil society organisations. Among those detained were AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi, Sanjay Singh, Kuldeep Kumar, Jarnail Singh and Sanjeev Jha, AISA national president Neha Bora, RJD MP Manoj Jha, and several others.

Meanwhile, despite police denying permission, thousands of protesters gathered on October 2 for the Cockroach Janta Party's protest at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. The turnout was very large, which resulted in an FIR against the organisers and violence. With no announcement on Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, CJP has announced a fresh protest in Delhi on October 10 and warned of "Jantar Mantar 2.0".

The Legal Route

Petitions have also been filed in the Supreme Court, seeking directions to suspend Gyanesh Kumar and declare decisions taken without unanimity null and void. The top court took up the matter yesterday, but refused to pass an interim order, saying that a media report can not be a basis for a stay on the ongoing SIR.

The Supreme Court, however, issued notices to the Centre and ECI seeking their responses on the plea and said that if any of the decisions were found to be taken without the consent of the three-member EC panel, then it would recall those orders.

ALSO READ: ECI-SIR Row: Gen Z Speaks On 'Dissent' As CJP Gears Up For Oct 10 Protest | TDJ Exclusive

Unification Of Opposition

The opposition has also united to target the Election Commission and the BJP. INDIA bloc MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and many others, marched from Parliament towards the Election Commission but were stopped by police on Parliament Street. They then sat on a dharna demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.

The march was stopped near the NITI Aayog and Akashvani Bhavan stretch, where security personnel had heavily barricaded the route. Gandhi climbed atop a police barricade, waved the Tricolour and sat on the road with other opposition leaders.

Gandhi was seen holding a placard and posted a message directly targeting the CEC, stating, "Gyanesh, it’s done, bro. Time to resign."

Former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee criticised the Election Commission and questioned the legal immunity granted to election commissioners, saying people would not forgive those who took away their voting rights. She also opposed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, alleging the process was centralised by the EC.

This is not it, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Raj Thackeray also led a joint protest in Mumbai against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, alleging electoral irregularities and demanding his resignation.

ALSO READ: Ex-Bureaucrats, Activists Demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar's Impeachment Amid EC Row: What Are 6 Charges Against Him?

What Happens Now?

The ECI and the Centre are expected to submit their official responses and records to the Supreme Court within a week, explaining why the SIR decisions were legal and made with proper approval. If the Supreme Court finds that the decisions were taken without the required approval, it may stop or cancel those specific orders.

Meanwhile, the October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar is expected to bring together CJP, the INDIA bloc and student groups. They are continuing to demand the resignation of the CEC.


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