New Delhi: The controversy over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls intensified after a media report claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised questions over the exercise but their concerns were ignored.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Deepke alleged that the report showed the Election Commission had undermined the country’s democratic process. He claimed that instead of people deciding whom to vote for, the government was now deciding whose vote would remain on the electoral rolls.
Deepke described Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as the “biggest threat” to Indian democracy and demanded his immediate resignation. He warned that if Kumar did not step down within 48 hours, his party would launch a large-scale nationwide agitation.
Allegations of vote deletions
During the press conference, Deepke presented figures relating to the deletion of names from electoral rolls in different states. He alleged that around 13 crore votes had been cancelled under the SIR process and claimed that Kumar was working to ensure that the BJP remained in power.
He further alleged that attempts were being made to eliminate the opposition completely, describing this as incompatible with free and fair elections.
Citing Maharashtra and other states, Deepke alleged that the Shiv Sena and NCP had been split and their original election symbols taken away and allotted to other factions.
The CJP alleged that the election process across the country was being influenced with the alleged involvement of the Election Commission and claimed that Gyanesh Kumar was responsible for the developments.
