Gaurav Gogoi and Congress workers protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar in Guwahati (Img: X)
New Delhi: The political controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls intensified on Friday as Congress workers staged protests in several cities, demanding action against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the Election Commission’s handling of the process.
Protests were reported in multiple states, including Patna, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Bhopal, Dehradun and Kolkata. In some places, police used water cannons to disperse demonstrators, while several Congress leaders and workers were detained during the protests.
In Patna, Congress workers marched towards the Election Commission office demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Police deployed water cannons to stop protesters from moving ahead.
Similar scenes were witnessed in Chandigarh, where police used water cannons to disperse Congress protesters. In Guwahati, Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi and other party leaders were detained during a demonstration.
The protests followed allegations raised by Congress over the SIR exercise and reports about objections allegedly made by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi regarding certain decisions related to electoral roll revisions.
Congress leaders have accused the Election Commission of irregularities in the voter list revision process and have demanded action against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The party has also organised demonstrations outside election offices in different states.
The Election Commission has maintained that its decisions follow legal procedures and that differing views during internal discussions are part of institutional functioning. The poll body has said that all orders issued by the Commission have legal validity.
The SIR row continues to remain a major political and legal issue, with protests and counterclaims keeping the Election Commission’s voter revision process under intense public focus.
