Tripura Left Front staged a protest in Agartala against the Election Commission of India, with Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s removal over alleged unilateral decision-making, electoral-roll transparency concerns and reported objections within the poll panel.
The Tripura Left Front on Saturday staged a protest march and public meeting in Agartala against the Election Commission of India (ECI), with Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The protest came amid a wider political controversy over the functioning of the poll panel and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Left parties said recent media reports about differences within the Election Commission had raised concerns over the transparency of electoral-roll management and the decision-making process of the multi-member poll panel. The Election Commission, however, has rejected suggestions that SIR-related decisions were taken without the approval of the full Commission, stating that differences of view can occur within a constitutional body and that the decisions were taken through its established process.
The protest march began outside the CPI(M) West Tripura district committee office and passed through several parts of Agartala before reaching Paradise Chowmuhani, where a protest meeting was organised. Chaudhury, CITU state president Manik Dey and other Left leaders, workers and supporters participated in the programme.
Addressing the gathering, Chaudhury levelled allegations against CEC Gyanesh Kumar over the functioning of the Election Commission. He claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections to important decisions concerning electoral-roll management, including issues related to voter registration, deletion and restoration of names during the SIR process.
According to claims cited by the Left parties, the two Election Commissioners had recorded objections on 14 occasions over a period of 10 months. The issue has become part of a wider national political dispute, with opposition parties questioning the transparency of decisions concerning electoral rolls.
Chaudhury demanded the removal of Gyanesh Kumar as Chief Election Commissioner and called for the restoration of names of eligible voters who, according to the opposition, had been deleted from electoral rolls. He also accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of undermining democratic institutions and citizens’ voting rights, allegations that have been disputed by the ruling side.
The protest in Agartala was held amid a broader programme announced by five Left parties in Tripura. The parties have called for protests from September 26 to October 2, demanding the removal of the CEC, suspension of the SIR process and restoration of voting rights to eligible citizens allegedly excluded from the electoral rolls. They have also sought changes in the process for appointing Election Commissioners.
The political controversy has also drawn a response from Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha. On September 24, Saha said differences of opinion could arise among members of the Election Commission but maintained that the decision to undertake the nationwide SIR was ultimately taken by the poll panel.
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Chaudhury also criticised Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha over his participation in the campaign for the September 28 Village Committee elections. He claimed that the Chief Minister had not attended any public meeting during the campaign.
The Left Front’s Agartala protest was organised two days before the scheduled Village Committee elections in Tripura, adding an electoral dimension to the ongoing political debate over the Election Commission, electoral rolls and the SIR process.
