Maharashtra Congress to protest over voter rolls, demand Gyanesh Kumar's arrest

The Congress on Saturday said it will hold protests across Maharashtra on September 28, demanding the dismissal and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The party accused him of acting in a biased manner and alleged that the Election Commission was functioning in a way that benefited the BJP.In its statement, the Maharashtra Congress said Kumar had undermined democracy and the Constitution. The Opposition has also been attacking him over reports of differences within the three-member Election Commission on decisions and instructions related to electoral roll revision, deletion and addition of names, changes to forms for new voters, and access to voter data.The party claimed that 13 crore voters were removed from electoral rolls across the country during the Special Intensive Revision exercise, including more than 3 crore electors in Maharashtra. It also alleged that 47 lakh voters were added to the electoral rolls before the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, but said their whereabouts were now unknown.According to the Congress, similar deletion of voters took place during the Bihar and West Bengal assembly elections. The party said its workers, office-bearers, legislators and MPs would take part in protests in all districts of Maharashtra. The Congress further said that senior leader Rahul Gandhi's repeated claims of "vote theft" had been vindicated. It demanded that Kumar be removed from service and arrested.The Election Commission, however, said on Saturday that all Special Intensive Revision orders were issued after approval from all three Election Commissioners. It also said that the changes in Form 6, used for inclusion of names in the voters' list, had been upheld by the Supreme Court. With protests planned across Maharashtra on September 28, the row has sharpened around allegations over voter roll revision, while the Election Commission has maintained that its decisions were taken collectively and in line with rules upheld by the court.- EndsWith PTI inputs