The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:
ECI Statement Fails to Address Issues Raised – CEC Must Go
The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) statement issued on September 26 does not address the serious questions raised by disclosures about the Commission’s functioning and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Indian Express reported that the two Election Commissioners repeatedly raised concerns over how new voters were being enrolled, how names were deleted, how access to the electoral database was centralised, and how electoral procedures were changed, including illegal changes to Form 6.
The concerns raised by opposition parties and civil society organisations arose in a specific context: the enforced SIR process across the country. They have only been reinforced by disclosures from within the Commission itself. The core issue is whether the electoral process is being conducted transparently, in accordance with law, and with adequate safeguards against the wrongful exclusion of eligible voters.
The ECI’s statement neither addresses nor denies these substantial issues. Nor does it speak of accountability for the severe hardships inflicted on citizens by the whimsical and authoritarian acts of one person or a group acting at the behest of the ruling dispensation.
Against this backdrop, we reiterate our demand for the immediate resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. If he does not resign, he should be impeached for misconduct. The SIR process must also be halted immediately.
Gyanesh Kumar must be held accountable. He must go, particularly in light of new allegations levelled against him by a senior (retd) IAS officer from Keralam.