The 140-member Kerala Legislative Assembly on Monday passed a resolution against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, seeking his removal, as the Congress continues to accuse him of colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over 'vote chori'.
The resolution, passed on opening day of the second session of the 16th Kerala Assembly, put forth three demands and underlined that the integrity of India's electoral process is "non-negotiable". It demanded that the irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive need to be addressed and voting rights of all eligible voters who have been wrongfully excluded must be restored.
Also, Kumar must be removed because his "impartiality has come under serious question".
'Right to vote is foundation of democracy'
The resolution also demanded that the committee to select the election commissioners need to be reconstituted and it should include the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, and the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
"The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy. No institution can be allowed to undermine the constitutional rights of our citizens. Our stand is unequivocal. The right to vote must be protected. The Constitution must be upheld. Democracy must prevail Keralam stands firmly for free and fair elections," Chief Minister VD Satheesan said on X (previously Twitter).
Congress' allegations against Kumar
The Congress has repeatedly attacked Kumar and accused him of being involved in 'vote chori'. It has said that Kumar needs to resign from his position, with Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi claiming that the CEC is being forced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval.
"The constitution is being attacked," the Lok Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli said at a press conference at Indira Bhawan in New Delhi. "This resistance is not a one-day thing; it will continue... Even the police are questioning why they are protecting a thief like Gyanesh Kumar and attacking the police."
"Gyanesh Kumar, you have lost your sleep; we will not spare you... We know about your past and your corruption, and we are waiting," he added.
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