Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has stepped up his criticism of the government and the Election Commission over the conduct of the electoral process. He said the Congress has three demands on which it is unwilling to compromise.
The demands include the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, withdrawal of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, and a return to ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for elections.
Congress Pushes Three Demands
Kharge reiterated that the Congress wants CEC Gyanesh Kumar to step down, the ongoing SIR exercise to be withdrawn, and future elections to be conducted using ballot papers.
According to Kharge, Congress workers and parties associated with the INDIA bloc have been holding protests across the country over these issues.
Congress Backs Civil Society Groups
Kharge also said the Congress stands with civil society members and youth organisations raising concerns over the electoral process in different parts of the country.
He additionally criticised the BJP over allegations concerning the treatment of women journalists in Delhi, calling the reported incidents unacceptable.
Questions Over SIR-Related Decisions
The political dispute intensified following a report by The Indian Express, which claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally recorded disagreements with decisions and orders related to the SIR exercise on at least 14 occasions over the previous 10 months.
The report said the two commissioners had objected that certain orders were issued without their knowledge or recommendations.
The Election Commission has responded that differences of opinion can arise during internal discussions within any democratic institution. It has maintained that its orders are issued in accordance with the law and established statutory procedures.
The developments have added to the ongoing political debate over electoral rolls, the SIR exercise and the use of EVMs in Indian elections.
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